Gleaming
by ChayseElric
Summary: Edward is missing his brother, but when he really needs somebody, who is going to fill that empty position? Roy x Ed
1. Gleaming

"Sixteen years of living the way I did, not knowing what's going to happen next, or even if you are going to survive through the next day. Not everything you see is the most pleasant of things, some things you wish you could just burn out of your mind, but deep down, you know that you cannot take back what you have done or saw. No matter the cost, the scars will always be there, maybe fading slightly, but never disappearing."

Edward Elric sighed heavily as he threw himself onto the green leather couch of his military dormitory. He had experienced another horrible day and he wished that he could have his brother there, giving him some reassurance. Maybe if Alphonse was there, he could have helped ease some of the stress that had been weighing down on Ed's shoulders over the past couple weeks. But seeing that Al was three days away in Risembool, he knew that he couldn't just reach over and ask for his help, or for him to say something to get his mind off of the stress. Because he just wasn't there. Of coarse, Edward could have rung him, but he was way to lazy to lift himself up from the permanent seeming position that he had taken up on the leather couch. He tangled his hands in his hair before his eyes fluttered to a close, leading him finally into a peaceful sleep.

When Edward woke up in the morning, he immediately began his morning routine, shower, brush teeth, choose a outfit and head off to the library. Ed hated to admit that he didn't exactly dislike the idea of being a 'dog of the military' anymore. The people that he met, and the people that he had worked with had made a impact on his life, and most even became like second family to Edward and Alphonse both. Riza and Havoc were the closest to the Elric brothers, being the most involved in their lives out of the other members that worked by Roy Mustang's side. Edward called Roy 'bastard' more than he called him by his real name, or by his rank for that matter. But even Mustang seemed like family to Edward, even though Ed hated his guts. A small knock at Edward's door woke him out of his moment of deep thought, and without a second thought, he pulled on his typical black leather pants and a white t-shirt before dashing to the door. Ed unlocked the door and swung it open, his golden eyes meeting the chocolate brown eyes of Riza Hawkeye. "Hey Riza!" Edward exclaimed cheerily, stepping back so that she could step inside. "Morning Edward, I was just wondering if you would like to come for coffee with me? Havoc bailed because he got called in by the Colonel." Riza chuckled, shaking her head. A begging tone was evident in her voice. "Sure, I'll come with you. I don't really have anything set up for today." he chuckled, closing the door behind Riza as he walked down the hallway, grabbing his red cloak off the hook on his bedroom door.

"Oh yeah, next time you see Havoc, can you tell him that I apologize for calling in last night, I haven't been getting much sleep lately and I needed a day off, so I'm the reason he got called in today." Ed stated, throwing his red cloak against the back of his couch before clapping his hands and slapping them lightly against his chest, transmuting his white t-shirt into his everyday black clothing with white trim. "I'll be sure to pass that along, that's a neat trick you got there by the way Ed." she chuckled, leaning down to adjust the laces of her shoes. "You look so different without you're uniform Riza." Edward stated, just noticing her white button up shirt and her dark navy blue jeans. "Is that a good thing?" Riza asked, straightening up and cocking her head. "Yes, it's a good thing." he chuckled, grabbing his cloak and wrapping it around himself. A light smile on his lips.

Edward was more then happy to be getting out of his dorm room, he had been stuck inside multiple buildings for almost two weeks and it was making him feel claustrophobic. After Edward had pulled on his black boots and tied them up, both Riza and Ed walked out into the brisk spring air.

"How are you holding up without Alphonse with you every second?" Riza asked, pulling her hair into a high ponytail as they walked, causing her to almost lose her balance as she misplaced a step. Edward placed a hand on her elbow,, so Riza could steady herself before answering her question. "Oh it's hell. I don't have anyone to talk to anymore, and nobody to tell me when to stop reading and get the hell to sleep." Edward chuckled, being one hundred percent truthful towards Riza. Her smile faltered as Ed mentioned that he had nobody to talk to, and even though Ed had not realized it. Riza would always be there for him, no matter what he needed. "Edward, you do know that I have a phone, and if you ever need somebody you can call me." she mentioned, before holding the door to the small coffee shop open for Edward.

"Thank you Riza." Edward smiled, walking into the quaint like coffee shop. There were barely any people inside apart from a old couple who were sitting together, smiling and laughing in the booth closest to the door. Edward smiled politely before regaining his position next to Riza. "How about you find us a nice spot, and i'll order for the two of us" she smiled, motioning Edward away. He nodded and walked across the shop, finding a suitable booth up against the window and he took a seat there. Edward tried extremely hard to keep a smile on his face, but he could already feel the effects of going to sleep late and waking up early gaining on him. Thank god he was going to have a caffeinated drink.

Edward once again had neglected to tie his hair up into it's usual braid or ponytail and his golden hair was falling in rivers down his broadened shoulders. Ed ran his hands down the length of his leather pants before sighing and leaning his head against the window, staring out among the people walking down and the cars going by. A sigh escaped his lips and he soon began to trace the contours of the glossy, wooden table in front of him while he let his thoughts consume him whole.

Ed was taking his brothers absence harder then anyone would have thought the strong alchemist could have. It had been one whole month since he had seen Alphonse last, and he hadn't spoken to him other than the rushed phone calls that they had shared while Edward was in his office. But other than that, they had no contact whatsoever, and it was beginning to take it's toll on Edward's emotional and physical well-being. Edward was replaying in his head how _heartbreaking_ it had been when they had departed from each-other. Alphonse had been left in tears because he didn't want to leave. He wanted to stay by his brother's side, hell, Al even wanted to join the military, but he knew that Edward would have beaten the shit out of him if he even spoke of that in consideration. Edward would never let his brother become another dog of the military, even if he already was one.

"Edward, are you quite alright?" Riza asked, sliding Ed's green tea over to him before she took a seat across from the sulking young boy. Her face flushed with worry as Ed's head lifted off the table and gave her a sad smile. "I'm fine, Riz. I just miss Al, a little too much." he sighed, grabbing the cup of steaming liquid and sipping slowly at it. "Ed, you know that we can arrange for him to come out for a while, right?" Riza asked, brushing her blond bangs out of her face before reaching a hand out and placing it on Edward's arm. Edward's golden eyes darted to Riza's hand and then right back into her eyes again before he smiled slightly. "I wasn't aware that visitors were allowed in the dorms Riza." Edward smirked, pulling his arm away from hers as she did the same. "That's only in the female dorms. Edward you aren't female, are you?" She asked, her face reddening with suppressed laughter as she took a sip of her coffee. "No, I have a penis. Thanks." Edward chuckled back. He watched the amusing sight as Riza choked on her coffee. She began to cough slightly as she brushed away the drops of coffee that had escaped her mouth. "Of coarse you would Edward, waiting until I have taken a sip of something before announcing something like that. Just thank god that I do not have my gun with me."

Edward was happy that he had managed to have some time alone with Riza. He hadn't had very much to do without Al there and he was more then ecstatic that Riza had taken him out for a few hours so he could get out what he really needed to. And only a few of personal conversations had been sparked out. Now Edward was sprawled out against the couch again, but this time, he was debating whether or not he should call Alphonse out to stay with him for a couple weeks. He needed some time with his brother. Edward that lifted himself off the couch, stepped forward and grabbed the telephone.

"Rockbell Automail?" the sound of Al's voice rang through the phone causing Edward to burst into a spurt of laughter. "So, Winry's got you answering the phone now too, eh?" Edward chuckled, running a hand through his loosely tied hair. "Nii-san?" Alphonse asked, a hint of excitement laced through his voice. "No Al, It's the ghost of Christmas past." Edward chuckled sarcastically, leaning against the wall with a smile on his face. "Brother, how are you?" Al asked, and he could hear the sounds of things being moved around in the background. "I'm fine Alphonse, I have something to ask you though." Edward stated, pressing the speaker phone button and placing the phone on the counter as he fiddled around with a stray pen. "What is it?" Alphonse asked with a smirk evident in his voice. "I was actually wondering if you would like to come stay with me for a couple weeks, I miss you and I need some brother time." Edward stated, whispering the last part. "Edward, I'll catch the late train tonight and I'll be there in two days, I love you and I miss you, but I have to go. Winry needs me. "I love-" Edward managed to get out before the line went dead.


	2. Glowing

Edward hummed softly to himself as he made his way towards Central Headquarters. He had his bright red shoulder bag hanging off his arm and his cloak wrapped tightly around his body, the hood pulled halfway down his face to shield him from the pouring rain and the freezing cold wind. Ed was much happier than he had been for the past couple weeks, due to the fact that Alphonse was going to be here in a couple days. When Ed reached the stairs of Central Headquarters he practically skipped up them with a smile plastered on his lips. This time he actually took the stairs up to the office instead of his usual route through the elevator and when he reached the door, he actually opened it. He didn't kick it open like he usually did. "Well doesn't somebody seem happy this morning." Riza greeted as Edward skipped in to the office, the rain from outside still dripping off his bangs and a bright smile on his face. Riza was actually quite take aback because of how she had seen him acting yesterday, but this was a very good start.

"So what's got you so happy today Boss?" Havoc asked, leaning up against Edward's wooden oak desk. Edward's eyes looked back to meet Havoc's, a smile still smeared across his face. "Just the fact that Alphonse is going to be here in a couple days. You know. Nothing serious." Edward chuckled sarcastically, tapping the end of his pen against his desk happily. Havoc smiled back at Ed, sharing his enthusiasm. Alphonse had become a big part of the small family that had been created during Edward's line of duty in the military, even though most of them wouldn't admit it. They all missed Al dearly, even the Colonel missed him to some extent.

The whole office had by now heard about Alphonse's return within the next hour and there was a light shimmer of chatter echoing throughout the office and Edward could feel his excitement build up slowly as everyone was mentioning memories they had from when he and Alphonse were fighting to get their bodies back. They talked about the happiness that everybody felt when they finally got returned to their original bodies and about how grateful everybody was to still have the two boys. "You happy to be seeing Al again Ed?" Riza asked, leaning against Edward's desk and smiling down at him. "Hell yes." he stated simply, causing Riza to burst into a fit of laughter. "Do you think I should tell Colonel Bastard about his return?" Ed asked, taking a glance at Riza before running a hand through his messy hair. "Well yes, and Edward, don't you think that you should be a little nicer to him. He's been so kind to you guys and he's helped out a lot." she stated, smiling lightly. "Yeah I guess you're right. I'll tell him before he leaves HQ." Edward smiled, moving away from crowd and grabbing his book-bag and his cloak before dashing out the door.

Edward didn't go far out of the building before he stopped his hasty jog. He didn't exactly know why he had ran out, but he was glad that Hawkeye hadn't tried to kill him because he hadn't finished all of his paperwork that needed to be handed in. Ed sighed as he lowered himself down onto the only dry area that was available. He smiled softly to himself as he stared out the area surrounding him with thick interest at the Greek pillars that were holding the surrounding white buildings up. The wind blew Edward's bangs away from his eyes and he sighed in content, before reaching into his bag and pulling out his copy of 'Inkheart'. I smile crossed his face as he leant back, opening the book and getting lost inside the words.

It seemed like Edward had sat there for hours when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He jumped slightly, slamming his book closed, before darting his eyes to meet the dark blue almost black eyes of Roy Mustang. A smile lit up Edward's face as he motioned for Roy to sit down beside him. Roy was slightly shocked at the notion because Edward had never showed any sort of friendliness towards the dark haired man. But at least Roy would be able to say that they weren't at each other's throats for once. "So no usual Colonel Bastard to greet me ,eh Fullmetal?" Roy asked, lowering himself onto the ground beside Ed rubbing his hands on the dark blue material of his uniform. "No not today, I'm feeling a bit generous." Edward chuckled before adding "But please, we're not in the office, so call me Edward or Ed."

Roy and Edward had the longest civil conversation that seemed possible between the two. Roy had learned quite a lot about Edward, and Roy had told Edward quite a lot about himself too. Now, according to Roy. They had became friends, or at the least acquaintances. Just by sitting in front of Central together for a couple hours. Edward was back to the smiling self that had disappeared when Alphonse left, which could mean one of two things. One, Edward was going home. Two, Alphonse was coming here. "Do you want to crash at my place tonight? It's pretty late." Roy bust out, catching himself and Edward both off guard. "Erm, you know I have a dorm right?" Edward asked, chuckling and shoving his book into his book-bag before thinking what to answer. "I think I might take up on your offer though." Edward smiled, standing up and sticking a hand out for Roy to take.

The drive to Roy's house was silent, but not the bad type of silent. But the comfortable one in which two members didn't mind being in. Edward was leaning against the window of Roy's car, tapping his finger upon the glass every so often. A small smile played on his lips as they passed a woman and her child on the way. His smile got wider and he waved his hand, chuckling lightly before dropping both of his hands into his lap once again and sighing in content. "Sorry for a random question, but Alphonse means a lot to you. Doesn't he?" Roy said, in more of a statement then a question. Ed nodded his head as he stared at the road ahead. "Of coarse, Al is the only family I have left. And I'm not planning on losing him anytime soon." he stated, clenching a singular fist and sighing once more as they pulled into Roy's driveway.

Edward let out a yawn as the two of them stepped into Roy's beautiful house. But Ed wasn't really paying much attention to the elegance of the building around him as he kicked his shoes off and yawned once again. "You're really that tired?" Roy asked, smirking slightly as he kicked his own shoes off and hung up his uniform jacket before directing his eyes back to Edward. "Mhm." Ed mumbled, rubbing his eyes softly. "So, any ideas where I'm going to sleep?" Ed asked, running a hand through his messy hair. "You can take my room, and I'll take the couch." Roy stated, letting out a short yawn of his own. "I'm not going to do that to you, I'll take the couch." Edward muttered, pulling his white gloves off his warm hands and shoving them into his pockets. "Let's just share the damn bed."

"When did the sudden change of attitude towards me come around? I remember just this morning you hated me and now we're sharing a bed together." Roy chuckled, pulling his shirt over his head and dropping it to the floor beside his king sized bed. "Shut up Roy, I could change any moment you do know that. But maybe it's because I've finally realized how much you've helped Al and I and I'm coming to terms with the fact that I shouldn't be treating you like shit for that." Edward called from Roy's conjoining bathroom. "To be honest, I don't like fighting with you all the time either." Roy called back, a smug smile lacing his lips as he crossed his arms behind his head. "I think it's time we called a truce." Edward stated, leaning against the frame of the bathroom door. His hair was falling down in golden rivers past his shoulders and his shirt was dropped down onto the floor beside the door. "I agree." Roy stated before turning over and flicking the light off. "Good-night Edward." he mumbled, his eyes fluttering shut. The last thing Roy felt was the bed sinking down lightly beside him and a light tap of somebody's legs against his own.

Edward had woken up that morning with a start. A nightmare jolted him out of sleep and he woke up out of breath and sweating profusely. The unfamiliar area around him was not at all helping after the nightmare he had just experienced. His golden eyes took a moment to adjust to the bright light that was streaming in through the window. When he looked down beside him he was surprised that nobody was laying down beside him but he shook it off and sat up, swinging his legs off the side of the bed, his feet banging against the hardwood floor as he pulled himself up, grabbing his shirt in the process before dashing out of the room and down the stairs.

"Good-Morning, Full-metal " the voice of Roy echoed from the hallway as Edward reached the bottom of the stairs. "Like I pointed out, you are allowed to call me Ed, Full-metal is just a code-name." Ed stated, walking into the kitchen where the smell of pancakes was wafting down from the room. "Oops, I seem to have forgotten, as you might be able to tell, I don't focus very well." Roy chuckled, pouring a little more batter onto the heated pan. "That could explain why you aren't fuhrer yet." Edward stated, chuckling lightly as he walked across the room, seating himself at one of the many bar stools. "Now that was just cruel!" Roy exclaimed, spinning around and shaking the spatula at him. "I'm sorry Colonel, never again." Edward stated, saluting Roy while chuckling. "At ease Major."


	3. Glistening

"Al!" Edward shouted, catching sight of the light brown pony-tail and read coat of a singular searching teenager. The teen's eyes darted around when he heard the sound of his brother's voice echoing through the train station. After a few moments of searching, Al's green-brown eyes locked on Edward's golden ones, a smile slowly spreading across the younger brother's lips. "Brother!" Al shouted, grabbing a hold to the black handle of his suitcase and dashing towards Ed. Al's footsteps slowed down when he was a few paces a head of Ed, he dropped his suitcase, the sound echoing lightly through the crowd before he dashed the few paces and attacked Edward in a hug, reluctant to let go. "Edward, I missed you so much." Alphonse whispered, blonde hair flying in his face people passed at rapid speeds. "I missed you too, Al." Ed chuckled, patting his brother on the back and stepping back. "Grab your stuff, we have a lot of catching up to do." Ed stated, waiting as Al grabbed his suitcase before grabbing a hold of his elbow and dragging him through the crowd to the taxi parked out front, waiting for the two brothers.

"You know, I was thinking of coming with you when you go home. I need some time away from the Military, and I expect that Winry would like to see me. My automail needs some repairs anyway." Edward chuckled, smiling up at his brother. Yes, up. Alphonse had grown taller in a short period of time. "Oh, I'm sure both Winry and Aunt Pinako would love to hear that." Alphonse chuckled, bumping his fist against his brother's shoulder. "Winry's probably going to murder me first, and then feel happy that I've come home." Edward pointed out, brushing a hand through his bangs. "That's true, but she might be easier on you, she really missed you, brother." he whispered, smiling softly. "Not as much as she missed you, Al. We all know that you two are deeply in love with each-other." Edward taunted, punching Al's knee softly. "Shut-up Ed! That isn't true!" Alphonse explained, a blush spreading across his pale cheeks. Those words caused Edward to burst out into laughter, leaving Alphonse staring confused. "What's so funny?" Al asked, curiosity in his voice. "It's funny because it's bullshit." Edward stated, composing himself and staring out the window. "You're hopeless, brother." Alphonse stated, dropping his head into his hands and sighing.

"How did you get to the train-station from here, brother? Even for you it seems like too long of a walk." Al stated, smiling at the taxi driver before grabbing his suitcase and hopping out of the vehicle. Edward paid the driver quickly and slammed the door behind him, jogging to catch up to Al. "Well Roy drove me there, he wouldn't let me walk." Edward chuckled, pulling his hair out of his messy braid, letting it fall down his shoulders in neat, but tangled waterfalls. "Roy? You guys are on first name basis now?" Al asked, clapping his hands together in excitement. "Yes, Roy. I decided that I was going to change my ways and be nicer to him. After all, he has done one hell of a lot for us." Ed chuckled, looking at his brother's shocked expression. "Who are you and what have you done with Edward." Al stated, placing a hand firmly on Ed's shoulder. Edward extended a arm and punched his brother lightly on the shoulder. "Alphonse, I'm doing what you've wanted me to do for so many years, I'm growing up and moving on. Come on now, we have to get your stuff settled in so we can go out for lunch." Ed chuckled, grabbing Al's arm and dragging him up the stairs.

"Edward where are we even going for lunch, this place isn't anywhere near where the shops are. Are you kidnapping me?" Alphonse ranted as they walked down a seemingly empty block of houses, the wind blew both of their hair in the same direction and sent shivers down their spines, but at least they were together. "No Al, kidnapping you would consist of me tying you up and throwing you into the trunk of my vehicle, which I am not doing, because I do not own a vehicle." Edward chuckled, smiling at his brothers nervousness. "Besides, I don't think taking you to Riza's for a get together is really kidnapping you. Just more of a family meeting." Ed chuckled again, a smile spreading against his lips. "Who's all going to be there?" Al asked, a smile soon taking over his own lips. "Riza, Roy, Breda, Falman, Feury, and Havoc. We're getting the band back together bro." Edward laughed, dragging Alphonse by the hand up the steps to Riza's home. "Calm down brother, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Edward raised his automail hand and knocked against the white Victorian styled doors and knocked repetitively, only stopping when Alphonse grabbed his arm and pulled it away, a stern look on his face. 'Brother, don't be an ass." Al stated, shaking his head at his brother's childishness. "Come in!" Riza's voice from inside called, startling the two boys. "Ladies first." Edward stated, stepping to the side and bowing slightly. Alphonse stepped forward, opened the door and gave his brother a well deserved smack to the head before he stepped inside. Al chuckled slightly as a pained groan escaped his brother. "Hello?" Al called, stepping forward into the house, kicking his shoes off at the mat. "Alphonse?" Riza's voice called as the sound of footsteps escalated closer. "The one and only." Al chuckled as Riza emerged from the kitchen. Alphonse barely had time to breathe before he was attacked in a hug.

"You've changed so much Alphonse!" Riza exclaimed, pulling back and examining the teenager in front of her. "Good thing or bad thing?" Al asked, chuckling lightly. He was more than pleased to see Riza again. "Definitely a good thing!" She chuckled, fixing her hair up quickly. "So, everybody is in the back, I'm sure Edward could show you the way." Riza stated, turning on her heel and heading back to the kitchen. Edward motioned Alphonse to follow after him as he walked down the hallway, dragging his hand against the wall, out to the back door.

"Al!" "Alphonse!" the excited shouts of Mustang's Gang shouted as the brothers stepped into the bright sunlight of Riza's huge backyard. Edward stood back from the group, smiling as his brother got ambushed from all directions by Breda, Falman, Havoc and Feury. Roy was still nowhere in sight, so Edward found himself sighing and frowning for reasons unknown to him. Edward was strangely looking forward to seeing Roy again, for reasons even he couldn't quite understand. Edward sighed to himself, turning on his heel and running back inside.

"Edward? What brings you back inside?" Riza asked, rubbing her flour covered hands on the white apron wrapped tightly around her waist, some of the white powder dropping to the floor. "Just wanted to give Al some bonding time with the guys, after all, I have a ton of brother time with him this week." Ed chuckled, hoisting himself up onto Riza's marble counter-top while she stirred a pot of some sort of soup. "It's not polite to sit on people's counters while they are cooking Edward." Riza stated, pressing a hand against her hip. "What are you going to do? Shoot me?" Ed chuckled, poking his tongue out at her. "I am thoroughly considering it Major." Riza stated, her eyes slowly directing to the silver revolver on top of the fridge. "Yes Lady Riza!" Ed exclaimed, jumping off the counter and saluting. "Good boy." Riza chuckled, patting a once again flour covered hand on top of Ed's head. "Hey!" Ed exclaimed, his hands darting to his hair as he frantically tried to get all the powder out. "Oops, I forgot." Riza chuckled.

"Anything you need me to do Hawkeye?" Edward asked, running a hand through his hair to catch the final remnants of flour out of it. "Well one thing you could do is wait for Mustang to get here and pen the door for him when he does. The couch is free if you want to settle yourself on it." Riza pointed out, smiling at the seventeen year old. "Thanks Reece." Edward stated, turning around and disappearing down the hallway. Riza stood there as she mixed the Apple Pie ingredients together. She smiled as she finally realized how much Edward had matured. He only acted on impulse sometimes, not every damn second and he was now polite and willing to help out when it was needed. Riza was beginning to like this side of Edward one hell of a lot.

The sound of a doorbell rung through the house mere minutes after Edward had gotten himself comfortable on the couch. But Edward sprung out of his chair and jogged to the door, unlocking and swinging it open to reveal a casually dressed Roy, sporting jeans and a white V-neck t-shirt. "Fullmetal." Roy chuckled, nodding his head at the staring blonde. "Flame." Ed stated, returning the nod before stepping away, allowing Roy to enter before closing the door behind him. "The rest of them are outside, Riza is in the kitchen. And I'm staying on the couch." Ed stated, springing ahead and sprawling himself across the couch. "I might as well stay with you." Roy chuckled, seating himself on the armchair.


	4. Glittering

Edward wasn't showing it, but he was glad that Roy had neglected to see the rest of the gang, just to keep him company in the living-room, where he could have been outside, laughing with the rest of them. "Don't worry Ed, I'm not big on big social encounters anyway, so I don't mind staying with you." Roy assured after the fifth time that Edward had told him to say hello. "Okay, whatever floats your boat." Ed chuckled, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Why are you sitting out here anyways?" Roy asked, looking over the blonde. "Eh, I just wanted to let Alphonse catch up with the gang, and also. Riza's couch is the comfiest shit in the world." Ed chuckled, stretching out farther, running a hand through his hair. "I'll go outside if you do." Roy stated, making a agreement with Edward. "Fine, you first."

Edward sat by himself in one of the many chairs that sat upon the porch as he watched the group of laughing, smiling people in front of him. He was right about Roy having a better time out here than inside, so he had stolen a bottle of beer to have himself a little fun while it lasted. He was slowly sipping on the bitter liquid, it adding sort of a calming affect on him. "Edward, you shouldn't be drinking that." Riza stated, attempting to pull the bottle away from him. "Come on Reese, I'm going to be eighteen in a few weeks, so I'm almost legal drinking age. Spare me please?" Ed begged, widening his eyes in a plea. He pulled the bottle closer to him as he waited for Riza's response. "Fine, but only that bottle." She warned, placing a platter of sandwiches on the table beside him. Edward smiled in triumph and grabbed a sandwich, shoving half of it into his mouth on first bite.

"Hey Al." the now tipsy Ed slurred, wrapping a arm around his brother's torso. Alphonse stumbled back a few steps due to the sudden weight exerted on him. "Damn it Ed, what did Hawkeye say about only one drink!" Al whined, wrapping a arm around Ed's waist to steady the stumbling man. "Don't worry, she won't shoot me." Ed mumbled, repeating some unintelligible words afterwards. "Actually, she just might." Roy chuckled, walking over to help Alphonse. "Here, give him to me." Roy stated, reaching a arm out for Ed. Ed shrieked, jogging over, tripping a few times. Before wrapping his arms around his waist. "Wow, you really are drunk." Roy chuckled, stabling the attached blonde. "Looks like you have yourself a problem." Havoc chuckled, causing the rest to burst out into laughter. "I'm going to kill you all." Roy groaned, causing them to laugh even harder. "Al, do you want me to drive you guys home, I don't want you walking this mess home." he muttered pointing down to the boy wrapped around him. "You smell good Colonel." Ed shrieked, startling everybody. "Yeah, he could use a long nap." Roy stated, laughing lightly. "Al, I'll be in the car, meet me after you say goodbye." Roy stated, grabbing a drunken Edward in his arms, carrying him out the back gate, a chorus of goodbyes echoing after him.

"Alphonse, have you fucked Winry?" Edward asked as Roy drove them through the busy streets of Amestris. "Edward." Al shouted, a blush forming across his pale cheeks. "Alphonse, a lower voice would be appreciated." Roy cringed, chuckling at Ed's words. "Sorry Colonel." Al stated, patting Roy's shoulder in apology. "Don't worry about it. I would have asked worse questions if I was drunk." Roy chuckled lightly, focusing narrowly on the road. "Well it's good that you aren't the drunk one then." Al muttered, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around his brother, restraining the squirming mess. "Come on Al... Let me go." Edward whined, struggling under Al's firm grip. Roy just sat there, a smug smile on his face as he imagined how much fun Edward was going to be this afternoon. "No brother, you need to chill out." Al stated, tightening his grip. "But Al-" "Shut up Edward!" Alphonse cut off, clamping a hand over Ed's mouth. "Edward Elric, get you're tongue off my hand this instant or you will never see another day."

"Let me go." Edward whined as Roy threw Edward over his shoulder, attempting to drag him up the stairs toward his dorm. "Al, do you have Edward's keys?" he asked, extending his hand to check if the door was unlocked. "Right." Al stated, sticking a hand in Edward's back pocket to search for the keys. "Al, stop touching my ass." Ed mumbled, tangling his hands into the back of Roy's shirt. "I will now." Al mumbled, pulling the keys out and handing them to Roy "Thank Jesus." Edward chuckled, attempting to brush the hair out of his face. Roy set him upright on his feet, opened the door and lightly pushed Edward inside, causing him to loose his footing and fall to the carpet. "Ouch." Edward growled, struggling to stand up. "Whatever." he muttered one last time before knocking himself unconscious. "Thank god that problem is sorted." Al yawned, closing the door before running in and throwing himself on the couch. "You're free to stay here if you want, I'll make some tea or something."

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_**I apologize for the short chapter, but I don't have much time on the computer and this is all I have written so far, I'll write some more tonight and hopefully post it on Saturday, I'm not going to be home tomorrow so no updates. **_

_**~ Chayse Elric xoxo**_


	5. Glimmering

**_I'm just going to say right here, that nobody is ever going to understand how much fun it actually was to write drunk Edward. I was actually in the middle of class while I was writing it, and my teacher kept asking me why I was laughing so hard. Also I had shown it to multiple friends and they nearly died of laughter. Just imagine a drunk Edward, that would be amazing. _**

**_I almost got detention for that part though, because when I left the room to go to the washroom, my teacher decided that it would be a great idea to read what I was working on and well, you know.. _**

**_~Chayse Elric xoxo_**

* * *

Roy and Alphonse both sat on Edward's leather couch as the sound of Edward's snoring echoed through the room. "Just a guess, but I think he's going to be out for a while." Roy stated, putting his half cup of tea down on the coffee table, it landing with a clink. "Honestly, I have never seen brother drink that much, he sure has changed since I've seen him last." Al sighed, leaning back in the couch. "You guys have both changed, but it's for the better. You guys both grew up and matured, but you got more of the mature side." Roy pointed out, nodding his head toward the sleeping mound on the floor. "Oh trust me, I'm not mature." Al chuckled, throwing his bangs out of his face. "Oh really? Care to explain." Roy asked, leaning forward, yearning for a story. "Well, the first time I drank. I got so badly screwed up, that I broke into our neighbors backyard, and decided that it was a great time for skinny dipping." Al stated, a red tint spreading across his cheeks. Roy tried to keep himself under control, but he couldn't and he found himself leaning back and laughing a unnatural laugh. "The sad thing, is that I could see Edward doing something like that. Not you."

"Shut up." Edward groaned, his head throbbing harshly against his skull. "Oh, sorry Fullmetal." Roy chuckled, looking back at the stirring boy, chuckling softly. "It's fine but holy shit I feel like I'm about to implode." Edward groaned, debating whether to open his eyes, and be exposed to the sun of hell, or keep his eyes closed and ease some of the pain. "I'll get you some Tylenol, because I'm pretty sure you are now hungover." Alphonse chuckled, leaving the room to grab a glass of water and a pill. "Yeah, you got pretty messed up at Riza's house. Everybody was laughing at you. I had to smuggle you out so Riza didn't brutally murder you." Roy stated, chuckling lightly as Edward's eyes opened and snapped back shut in pain. "Yeah, thank you for that. She probably would have killed me too, because I was only supposed to have one." "You were supposed to only have one, yet you had eleven." Roy stated, rolling his eyes. "Shut up, I didn't expect to get that drunk." "You told me I smell good, so thank you." Roy chuckled. "I did what now?"

Edward had soon after taken the Tylenol and was now sitting on the couch in-between Roy and Alphonse as they told him all about his drunkenness. Edward pausing to laugh at himself every now and then. Alphonse had a pillow in-between his legs as he sat cross-legged facing Ed, his back hunched over so he could hug the pillow. "You even asked me if I had fucked Winry yet!" Alphonse exclaimed, hugging the pillow tighter as Edward cringed. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. Have you got your rocks off with Miss Rockbell yet?" Ed asked with a dead serious face, before breaking out into a devilish smile. "Brother!" Alphonse shrieked picking the pillow out from his arms and hitting Edward across the chest with it. Roy was once again, in fits of laughter at the edge of the couch. "I should hand around you guys more." Roy choked out before he finally got control over his laughter. "Trust me, no you don't." Alphonse chuckled, brushing his hair out of his face. "You will be because I'm going to start taking Alphonse into work with me while he's here." Edward chuckled, throwing a chip from the bowl on the counter at Roy's face. "Yay, the more in my office the merrier." Roy chuckled with sarcasm.

Roy had now been gone for a hour now and Edward and Alphonse were still sitting on the couch, talking about whatever thoughts came to mind. "So brother, have you found yourself a special someone yet?" Alphonse asked, sitting up from his laying position to look at Edward. "Well I'm still unsure of my feelings, but I think I might have. But I know for a fact things would never work out, I'm just a child compared to him." Edward sighed, placing his head in his hands. "Age or Maturity.. and him? You mean you like a guy?" Alphonse asked, shocked at this new piece of information. "Yes, I like a guy, you can yell at me if you want I really don't care." Edward sighed, lying down on the couch. "Edward, shut up, you're my brother and I love you and I would never yell at you for liking the opposite sex, you're still Edward, so I couldn't care less that you may be a homosexual." Alphonse stated, leaning over and patting his brother on the shoulder before returning to his position, hugging his pillow. "Well that went easier than expected." Ed sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to, but you are going to have to tell me sooner or later." Alphonse chuckled, nudging his brothers leg with a reassuring smile on his face. "Thanks Alphonse, I will tell you sooner or later, when I'm actually sure of all of this." Ed stated, laying his head down and eventually falling asleep.

Edward woke up early that morning to the sun shining in through the window, thankfully his hangover had subsided otherwise he would have found himself in a extremely painful situation. Ed used one arm to shield his eyes from the sun and the other to pry his legs out from under a sleeping Alphonse, succeeding in not waking him up. Edward lifted himself off the couch and stumbled drowsily to the kitchen, grabbing the coffee pot, filling it with water, before resuming the pot back into the machine. He debated the idea of waking his brother up, but decided against it, before rushing into his room and searching through piles of dirty clothes, looking for something acceptable to wear to work, but not finding anything. Sighing, Edward rushed to his closet and pulled out his unused uniform, pulling it down from the hanger and folding it over his arm. Of coarse, Edward could have stolen something from Alphonse's suitcase to wear, but he decided to settle with the horrific uniform and a white button-up shirt for underneath. At least this would be acceptable.

After Edward had taken a shower and dressed himself in his uniform, he rushed down the hallway and back into the kitchen. He pulled down two travel mugs from the cupboard, filled them with the freshly made coffee, screwed the lids back on, leaving the mugs on the counter as he went to wake his brother from the dead. "Alphonse!" Edward called in a sing-song voice as he entered the living-room. He flung the curtains open, filling the room with light and nearly blinding himself along the way. "Alphonse, don't make me attack you, cause you know I will." He teased, kneeling down in front of his stirring brother. "Al, wake up." Edward cooed, shaking his Al's shoulder lightly, causing Al's eyes to flutter open slowly. "Well, somebody's awake early." Alphonse growled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Well, I have work, and you're coming with me, so get your ass up and get changed." Ed chuckled, disappearing into the kitchen to throw the both of them together something for breakfast.

Edward and Alphonse had both scarfed down the toast and eggs that Edward had whipped up with seemingly unnatural speed, but neither seeming too threatened by it. Al had managed to take a quick shower and had gotten dressed into black trousers with a white button-up shirt and a vest to finish it off. "Al, we gotta go!" Edward shouted from the couch as he attempted to tie his combat boots hastily. "Sorry!" Al shouted back, tying his hair in a messy high-ponytail before dashing down the hallway, slipping his shoes on before appearing at his brothers side. "Jesus, I need new boots." Edward sighed, finishing the knot and walking to the door, opening it and holding it open for Alphonse, closing and locking when they were both outside.

"Good morning Edward, Alphonse" Hawkeye nodded as they stepped through the office doors. "Good morning." Ed and Al stated at the same time, scaring her slightly. "They're back." Riza chuckled, causing Alphonse to raise a eyebrow as a stack of paperwork was handed to Edward. Ed gladly took the paperwork and sent a smile at Riza. "Brother, catch." Alphonse stated, grabbing a pen out of his pocket and throwing it in Edward's direction. Edward caught it in-between two automail fingers and dropped it on top of his stack of paperwork. "Thank you Brother mine, now follow me." Edward sighed, dragging Alphonse with him into Roy's office.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Roy groaned jokingly from where he was seated upon his 'black throne' of a office chair. Roy had his feet kicked up on his desk as he signed papers on top of a large volume that was placed firmly on his right thigh. "Shut up. We are not mice, nor are we birds. We are human beings that are coming to raid your extremely comfortable couch." Edward chuckled, dropping his paperwork and pen on the wooden coffee table. "Does he always act like this?" Alphonse asked, getting a smack in the hip from Edward. "He does actually." Roy stated, grabbing another folder and flipping through the pages. "I'm surprised you haven't burnt him to a crisp yet." Alphonse stated, taking a seat next to his brother. "Trust me, I've tried." Roy pointed, signing a few more papers before throwing the folder down onto his desk, grabbing the pile of finished paperwork into his arms. "By the way, you look very handsome in you're uniform today Edward." Roy stated, walking out the door and leaving a blushing Edward in his wake.

Alphonse's eyes widened as the blush grew against Edward's cheeks. "Edward Elric, are you blushing." Edward almost squealed as Ed's hair fell down to cover his eyes. "No, I'm not blushing, my face is simply bleeding." Edward groaned, burying his head in his hands. "You're a lousy liar, I hope you know that." Al stated, scooting closer to his brother. "I'm very aware of that, thank you very much for pointing it out." Edward sighed, looking back at his brother with a still red face. "Is it him?" Alphonse asked, excitement in his voice. "I think so." Edward whispered, taking a deep breath before being attacked in a hug by Al.


	6. Shimmering

Roy darted through his office door, a light tint growing across his white skin. He couldn't believe that he had said that. He had called Edward attractive. He obviously had something going wrong in his brain, he had never called one of his subordinates attractive before, so was was Edward a exception? "Something got you embarrassed?" Hawkeye asked, stealing the pile of paperwork out of his arms. "I am uncertain." Roy sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "What happened?" she asked, sitting herself down in her spinning chair as she looked through Roy's finished paperwork, listening attentively. "I'm not sure, but I think I called Edward attractive." He groaned, wiping his brow with his thumb. "Well, Edward is very attractive a man." she pointed out, throwing the finished files into a empty basket. "But would you expect me, of all people. To say something like that?" Roy asked, rubbing his forehead. "I hope you fall in love with him, sir."

Roy walked back into his office, a red blush still framing his pale cheeks. "I'm so proud of you brother!" the voice of Alphonse called from the couch as Roy walked into a Elric brother tackle. "Am I interrupting something?" Roy asked, chuckling as Alphonse threw himself off of Edward. "No, not at all." Ed mumbled, adjusting his now disheveled uniform. "Edward's in love." Alphonse cooed, batting his eyelashes at his brother, leaning over to poke him in the stomach. "Shut up." Edward groaned, pulling a pillow from the couch and covering his face. "Who's the lucky lady." Roy teased, laughing at the groaning teen. "It's not a lady." Alphonse cooed, gasping when his brother jolted up and dashed from the room. "Shit, I think I went a little too far." Alphonse sighed, collapsing onto the couch. "Don't worry, I'll go after him."

Roy dashed out of his office, throwing his navy blue uniform jacket over his white button up shirt. Sighing loudly, he fastened the buttons on his jacket. "Which way did Edward go?" Roy asked as he passed Riza's desk. "I'm pretty sure he went to the garden, seeing as he went through the backyard. "Thanks." he muttered, throwing the door open and jogging down the hallway. He dodged through groups of soldiers, darting his head around to see if he could catch a glimpse of the golden hair. Soon enough, he had escaped the mobs of people and finally made it out the back door. The chilly spring air was whipping his hair in all directions, turning it into a mess. "Edward!" Roy called, his eyes continuing to search for the blonde. Only when he reached the garden did he finally catch sight of the seventeen year old.

Edward was lying with his back on the grassy hill in Central Headquarter's back garden. His eyes were examining the leaves up above. He didn't blame his brother for saying what he had said, for Alphonse had only spoken the truth. He was more worried about what Roy was going to say about it, more importantly. What would he think when the guy that Edward might be attracted to was him? Edward was slowly being devoured by his thoughts, he was blocking everything out as he continued to stare at the green and yellow leaves above. Every now and then he let out a exasperated sigh or a gust of breath, trying to calm himself down, even in the slightest way. Ed was so enveloped in his thoughts that he didn't even hear his his name being called, until he felt a warm touch on his shoulder.

"Mustang?" Edward as his thoughts finally brought him down from the clouds. "Yeah, It's me." Roy chuckled, plopping himself on the ground beside Ed. "Why did you come after me? I expected either Hawkeye or Alphonse to come." Edward yawned, tucking his arms under his head to act as a cushion. "I was worried about you Edward, so are they. But I was the first one to run out to find you." Roy muttered, plucking blades off grass from the ground and throwing them in the wind, watching as they were carried away. "Wow, so you actually do care." Edward chuckled sarcastically, feeling his heart soar at the tiny words Roy had muttered, even though he knew his feelings were not being returned. "Of coarse, I'm not the heartless bastard you think I am." Roy chuckled, spinning himself so he was laying beside Edward, their elbows nearly touching. "So I want to know about this guy who's stolen your heart."

* * *

"Do you think I went to far?" Alphonse stressed as he was handed a cup of tea by Riza. "Of coarse not, it may have been a bit too soon, but it's not too far. You would never mean any harm towards Edward, he just probably was worried about his superior officers reaction, that's all." Riza pointed out, taking a seat on the couch next to Al. Alphonse nodded as he sipped lightly on the steaming cup of tea, the scalding bittersweet liquid burning his tongue lightly. "I know, but I can't help but blame myself for Edward's running out, he's never been one to take these things easy." He sighed, placing his cup down on Mustang's coffee table. "Alphonse, you need to shut-up and stop blaming yourself, Edward is fine, he's one of the strongest people I know and he would never let anybody's words; except his own; harm him in any way. This is not your fault!" Riza pointed out, wrapping a comforting arm around the trembling Alphonse. "I just hope he comes back soon." Alphonse sighed, resting his head against Riza's shoulder.

* * *

"I don't really want to tell you about him, I'd rather you find out more about him on your own." Edward sighed, running a hand through his golden bangs. "Come on, you know you can trust me right?" Roy asked, rolling over so he was laying on his side with a arm supporting his head as he gazed at the blonde. "I know I can trust you. I guess I'm just not ready to talk about it, seeing as I haven't even come to terms with my feelings." Edward sighed once more, his golden eyes glancing over to meet the dark blue ones before they darted back to staring at the sky. "I haven't come to terms with the person that I like either." Roy chuckled, running his unoccupied hand through his already disheveled hair. "Oh setting aside your womanizer days and finally setting on a woman?" Edward asked, chuckling lightly. "It's not a woman."

Edward felt his heart soar once again at the words that had escaped Roy's lips. He had to be dreaming. Ed let out a gasp and sprung forward into a sitting position. "You mean you are-" "Gay?" Roy finished, chuckling at the blondes awestruck face. "Don't act so surprised, it came to me as a shock too." Roy sighed, joining Edward in a sitting position. "It's going to be tough for me to tell people.. I mean, Alphonse, you and Hawkeye are the only ones who know." Ed stated, frowning lightly. "You're not the only one that is going to have troubles with coming out, we could always do it together though, to relieve some stress." "True!" Edward laughed. "We should head back." Roy chuckled, standing up and lowering a hand to help Ed. "Roy." Ed stated, causing Roy to smile lightly "Thank-you."


	7. Sparkling

The crushing hug that Edward received the second he stepped through the door caused him to choke on what remaining air he had inside his lungs. He choked for air, loosened Alphonse's grip, and wrapped his arms around the taller brothers shoulder. "Edward, I'm so sorry." Alphonse whispered into Edward's shirt collar, tightening his grip once again. "Al, it's fine. It's not your fault, even though it might not have seemed like it, but I really needed that time away." Ed whispered, glancing lightly at Roy, a light smile crossing his lips. Roy returned the smile with a shake of his head, as he walked further into his office, dismissing Hawkeye and making his way back to his desk, directing his eyes away from the bonding Elric brothers. "Edward, I love you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let it slip, it was a horrible thing to tease you about and I'm so sorry." "Alphonse say sorry one more time and I will make Roy charbroil you." Edward said seriously grabbing Alphonse by the shoulder, pulling him far enough away from the embrace so that Ed could look into Al's eyes. "You wouldn't do that." Alphonse chuckled, wiping his now wet eyes. "No I wouldn't. You know why? Because I love you Alphonse, you are my brother, we're always going to tease each-other, but that's not going to change the fact that we're stuck together is it? So stop crying and hug me." Edward stated, pulling Alphonse into a bone crushing hug. "I love you Edward." "I love you too, Alphonse. So much."

Edward now lay across Roy's couch, his brother curled up to his side asleep. Al's breathing was short and calmed, sending Edward into a moment of peace. "I envy you and Alphonse's relationship, I hope you know that." Roy chuckled, doodling on a piece of spare paper. "Why would you envy us? We're just brothers." Edward chuckled, continuing to rub soothing circles in the sleeping Al's back. "You guys are just so close, no secrets in-between and you are there for each-other, no matter what." Roy chuckled, adding a ton of leaves to the tree he was doodling. "Well ever since Mom passed, we've been the only family we have to each-other, besides Winry. We were the puzzle pieces that could not be taken apart, we were almost fused together. He refused to leave my side, and I refused to leave his. He's made a big impact on my life and he's the only reason that I've been able to hold myself together. I refuse to let him see me in any pain whatsoever, because I want to act like the strong one, I want to be the one who always has a smile on his face and is fighting his light away like it hasn't been a struggle. But still, he's my brother, and I don't think anything will break our bond." Edward smiled, his eyes gazing at his sleeping brothers face. "Edward, you shouldn't do that to yourself. Keeping your feelings bottled up is never a great thing to do, it will end up backfiring in the end. Alphonse and I are both the ones that you should come to whenever you need a shoulder to cry on, or just somebody to listen to your problems and actually understand. We're both here, and we always will be. Take advantage of it once in a while, you need to let your feelings free, not keep them to yourself. "That's what I've learned though, that if you tell people they will consider you a burden, and that you would just be putting a un-needed weight on their shoulders. But I may take you up on your offer sometime." Edward sighed, sending a grin at Roy. "You will never, be a burden to me. That's a promise."

"You guys never had a great childhood did you?" Roy asked, dropping his pen and leaning back in his chair, avid to listen to every word that the blonde was going to say. Roy loved these conversations with Edward because after a while he had understood the teen more, and knew more about him than anybody other then Alphonse and Winry, that alone was truly an amazing feeling. Just to know that you are trusted by somebody so much that they are willing to spill out their whole life story to you. "We stopped being children the second Mom died." Edward stated, barely loud enough for Roy to catch, but surprisingly he did. "Human transmutation wasn't what we were going to do originally. Alphonse wanted to continue living, he wanted to make something of ourselves. But me on the other hand. I was grief stricken and selfish, I didn't take into thought anything that could have happened during that moment, so I forced Alphonse into it. I promised Al, that we would be seeing Mom's smile again in less than twenty-four hours, but I was wrong. We never did get to see Mom's smile again, or hear her laugh or her voice. What we got was a disgusting creature, that shouldn't have been created in the first place. But there's one thing about that day that was the strangest, and it was the fact that I do not regret any of it. Other than the fact that I quarantined Alphonse in a un-feeling suit of armor for four years, I do not regret anything. I can live with the automail, It doesn't really have a impact on my well being so I'm fine with it. But the biggest part, is that if I hadn't committed the taboo, I wouldn't have met any of you, I wouldn't have become the youngest state alchemist, and I wouldn't be living the wonderful life that I am now." Edward finished, sighing once more and running a automail hand through his hair. "You know that you are a truly amazing person Edward." Roy stated, his eyes still wide from Ed's words. "You aren't so bad yourself." Edward chuckled, flipping his braid over his shoulder.

When Edward woke up, he was beyond confused. He wasn't in Mustang's office, nor was he at home in his bedroom. "Where am I?" Edward asked himself, looking to his left and finding a sleeping Alphonse. So Alphonse was here, but he was still unaware if that was a good or a bad thing. Edward recognized this room strongly, but he wasn't sure from where, and the smell of a familiar cologne was lacing his nostrils. Edward glanced once more at his brother, throwing his legs off the bed, might as well find out where the hell they were. Edward walked to the door, listening for any source of sound before deeming it safe to open. He cautiously reached for the door handle, treating it as if it was going to explode at any given moment, killing both he and Alphonse. Ed turned the door handle, slowly swinging open the door and jumping slightly when it creaked louder than it should have. He gave up at trying to be quiet after the floorboards creaked as he stepped forward. "Edward?" A calling voice asked from down the hallway, causing Ed to jump back in shock, but sigh when he realized who's voice was evident. "Mustang, would you care to tell me why I am in your house? Did you drug Alphonse and I?" Edward asked, stepping out the door, a relieved smile on his face. "You guys fell asleep, so I decided to take you to my place, because you both didn't seem like you would be very pleased if you were woken up." Roy chuckled, emerging from the bathroom at the end of the hall. "We probably would have attempted murder." Ed snickered, leaning against the wall as Roy walked a past him. "I figured, do you guys want anything for dinner? I was just about to head to make something for all of us." Roy chuckled, beginning his trek down the stairs. "I'm not asking for anything in particular, Alphonse and I aren't that fussy of eaters." Ed chuckled, unbuttoning his military jacket, walking back into the room and throwing it on the end of the bed below Alphonse's feet. Al's snores slowly grew louder and louder the longer Edward stood there, he shook his head with a chuckle and turned around heading down the hallway and down the stairs, following the sound of moving objects. "Roooooy." Edward called, reaching the kitchen and chuckling when he found Roy standing in front of the cupboard looking confused. "Yes, Ed?" Roy asked, smiling at the golden eyed blonde. "Do I have permission to do a tour of your house, I never had a chance last time." Edward smiled, a pleading look in his eyes. "Yeah, go ahead, just don't blow up anything." Roy muttered, grabbing a pack of some sort of pasta off the top shelve of the cupboard. "Yes, sir." Ed chuckled, mock saluting and skipping out of the room. Roy shook his head in amusement. The serious Flame Alchemist was falling in love with the barely mature Fullmetal Alchemist."

Edward walked through the many hallways of Roy's house, looking through every room and coming up with nothing but guest bedrooms. Roy's house was truly a work of art in itself, to be honest. He never expected somebody like Roy to live in a house this elegant and neat, but Roy kept throwing surprises at the younger alchemist. Ed kept a smug smile on his face as he walked through last hallway that he hadn't investigated yet, he chuckled lightly before he opened the hall on the far right corner. Edward's jaw dropped as he stepped into the room, he was amazed at the sight he was seeing. This was obviously Roy's art room, but he never expected Roy to be much of a artist, but these were the best drawings he had ever seen. Most of the drawings were of transmutation circles that Edward couldn't say that he had seen before, and oil paintings of beautiful landscapes and portraits of beautiful women, and the amount of detail that had been put into every stroke suggested that some of these must have taken weeks, if not months to finish a partial area of it, but it was truly amazing. "Wow." Edward whispered as he approached a framed drawing, it wasn't colored, but it was detailed, in the drawing there was a small river with a forest behind, along with two people holding hands, emerging through the fog at the edge of the forest. Edward had never seen a drawing as detailed as this one was, and he was awestruck. Edward jumped when he heard the call of dinner being ready from Roy and he gave the drawing one last look, before spinning on his heel and dashing out.

"Roy, I'm going to force you to draw me something someday." Edward chuckled, walking into the kitchen and taking a seat at the dining room table. "I'm pretty sure I should be scared." Roy chuckled, spinning his fork around the spaghetti on his plate. "Is he good, Ed?" Alphonse asked after swallowing a huge amount of spaghetti. "Good is a understatement." Edward chuckled, picking up his fork and twisting the pasta around his fork before shoving it into his mouth. "And you can cook too, what can't you do?" Edward asked, taking a small sip out of the glass on the table to the right of his plate. "I don't know." Roy laughed, smiling lightly as the blonde shoveled the food in his mouth. Roy was already brainstorming what he would draw for Edward, if he was going to draw something for Edward, it couldn't be anything less than perfect, so he was planning on spending the most time on it that could be possible without Ed exploding in anticipation. Roy sighed happily, skimming over thoughts of what he could paint or draw for Edward, it couldn't be something as simple as a flower, or a tree. It needed to be something big, like a whole landscape picture of a beach, or a forest! He wasn't sure, but he would have enough time to think about it before Edward killed him.

Edward was humming contentedly to himself as he washed the dishes. Alphonse had probably made his way back to the guest bedroom that they had been sleeping in earlier, attempting to sleep again. Roy had gone god knows where and Edward stood in front of the kitchen sink, washing the dishes. Ed really didn't mind helping out while he was here, as long as he got some way closer to Roy, he didn't mind doing anything. Edward's humming slowed slightly as he started on the last dish, washing it thoroughly before placing it on the drying rack. Ed sighed, grabbing a dishcloth that was hanging off the handle on the stove and used it to dry his hands quickly before he returned it to it's rightful place. "Brother?" the voice of Alphonse from the living-room called. I guess Al hadn't gone back to sleep after all. "Yeah Al?" Ed asked, rubbing his hands on his military pants as he walked into the living-room. Alphonse was laying across the couch and Roy was settled in the armchair, his thoughts directed elsewhere. "We have to get going soon, Winry's expecting a call from me and you know just as well as I do that if I don't call, she's going to have both of our heads." Al chuckled, moving around lightly to get comfortable. "Are you sure you aren't just going to call for phone sex? I know she would love that." Edward stated, leaning against the wall. A loud snort escaped Roy's nose and soon after he was clutching at his stomach in fits of laughter. Roy was unsure of the last time he had laughed this hard, but he was sure it was the last time he had gone to the bar with Maes, when he was still alive that is. Roy was soon able to control his laughter, and he opened his eyes to find a beet red Alphonse and a struggling to contain his laughter Edward. "I think this is one of the reasons you are still working for me, and not the Fuhrer." Roy chuckled, wiping his brow and smirking lightly. "Oh, so the Fuhrer wanted me on his 'task force' now did he?" Ed chuckled, tapping his automail finger against the wall. "Yes. I denied him." Roy stated, crossing his legs. "Did I ever get a say in this?" Edward asked, pushing Al's feet off the edge of the couch so he could take a seat. "No you didn't, don't deny it, you would have said no too." Roy stated, running a hand through his messy hair. "Yeah, I probably would have, I think the new Fuhrer is a dick anyway." Edward chuckled, leaning back and resting his head against the back of the couch.


	8. Sanguine

"Thanks for letting us stay here for a little longer." Edward smiled, pulling on his black combat boots and struggling with the laces. "It's really no problem, you're welcome anytime." Roy smiled, leaning against the wall and tracing patterns against the door-frame. "And thanks for dinner!" Alphonse chirped, wrapping his jacket around his shoulders. Roy nodded lightly, a smile still on his face. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Edward asked, finishing tying his boots and standing up, gazing into Roy's dark blue eyes. "Of coarse, Ed." Roy smiled, standing straight to see them out. Alphonse reached forward and twisted the door handle, walking out into the cool night air, Edward followed in close pursuit. "You guys be careful alright?" Roy asked, holding the door opened as he watched the boys pass. "Yes, of coarse!" Alphonse exclaimed, skipping ahead of Edward. "Don't worry, we will." Edward chuckled, not looking back but waving his arm in the air in acknowledgement. "See you tomorrow." Roy chuckled, closing the door directly after he heard the returning statement. Roy shook his head with a smile still imprinted on his face before he turned on his heel and jogged up the stairs. He had to make the bed in the guest bedroom, because he was almost one hundred percent sure that Edward nor Alphonse had done it themselves, but that was okay, it gave him something to do. The room to the far left still had the door ajar, and Roy chuckled once more before entering. Roy's eyes swiped the length of the room to make sure that nothing was out of place before he made his way to the bed. At the edge of the bed, Edward's military jacket was lying unattended and Roy cursed to himself, picking up the jacket in his arms, dashing out of the room and down the stairs, narrowly missing tripping. Roy swung his front door closed behind him as he dashed outside, attempting to catch up to the brothers. "Edward!" Roy bellowed as he ran, catching a glimpse of the flowing blonde hair in the distance. As soon as Edward heard the sound of his name being called, he spun around, curious to find out whom, and letting out a sigh of relief when he found that it was just Roy, carrying his blue jacket. "Edward you left this." Roy panted, stopping a few steps in front of Edward. "Really, you're tired? We are just around the corner from your house." Edward chuckled, smiling at the older man. "Shut-up, I'm not young, okay?" Roy chuckled, making a mocked smack towards Edward's chest, causing Edward to jump back just in time. "You should get back home, I'm sorry for making you run back here and return my jacket, you could have just returned it tomorrow." Edward smirked, grabbing the material from Roy's arms. "No, I'm not that cruel, you guys have a long way to walk so you should be warm." Roy smiled, turning on his heel to leave. "Goodbye Roy." Ed smiled, waving after the black haired man. "Goodnight Ed." Roy called back.

"Al, I'm going to head for bed, I'm really tired." Edward yawned as he closed the door behind himself. "Go ahead, I still have to call Winry." Alphonse stated, yawning also. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to wake me up, okay?" Edward asked, flipping on the hallway light. "Don't worry about me, I've got things under control." Alphonse chuckled, stripping from his jacket and throwing it over the back of the couch. "Okay, goodnight Alphonse." Edward waved, throwing his blonde braid over his shoulder. "Goodnight brother!" Alphonse called after his brother, walking over to the kitchen table and pulling the wireless phone off the receiver. Al dialed Winry's number quickly into the phone as he smiled softly. Al hated being away from Winry, more than Edward did. He hated not being able to see her every waking hour of the day, because he missed her personality and her carefree attitude, and above all, he just missed her. "Hello?" the tired voice of Winry asked through the phone, causing Alphonse to sigh in happiness. "Winry." Al sighed, carrying the phone over to the couch. "Al?" Winry asked, a smile visible in her voice. "Yeah, it's me." Alphonse smiled, laying down across the couch. "How are things going there, how is Edward?" Winry shot out, excitement in her voice. "Things are great here, and brother is great, from what I'm seeing, he's more than great." Al chuckled, running a hand through his bangs. "What do you mean by that?" Winry asked, the sound of rustling blankets in the background. "I think he's in love, but hasn't come to terms with it yet." Al smiled. "Oh really? To whom?" Winry asked, excitement building. "Roy Mustang, I think." Al whispered, raising a eyebrow. "Out of anybody that works at that office, I would never have expected Roy. Edward spent so many years in intense hatred towards Roy, what happened to that?" Winry asked, worried now. "I think that Edward finally came to realize how much Roy had actually done for us. He had saved our lives on many occasions, and added extra money into Edward's research account whenever he was running low. He was basically the one thing that kept us afloat, and Edward never realized that until Riza pointed it out. And I thank god that she did." Alphonse explained, playing with the seam of the couch. "As long as he's happy, I'm happy."

Normally, Edward slept soundly, dreaming tons and not waking up until it was needed. But the thunderstorm that was raging outside was stirring him from his sleep. Ed began to doze, then another crash of thunder jolted him awake. The sound of Thunder and the pounding of rain cycled throughout the night, so he just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, eyes open and outward. Ed slowly counted the dots on the ceiling, trying to direct his attention to something other than the thunder, but being jolted from his thoughts every-time a flash of lightning flickered through the sky, or a blast of thunder echoed through the house. Edward jumped into a sitting position when the loudest of all the thunderclaps echoed through his tiny room. "Jesus Christ." Ed groaned, kicking the covers off of his body, swinging his legs off the side of the bed. Leaning down, Ed picked up a pair of sweatpants off the floor and pulled them on. If Alphonse was awake he didn't want his brother to see him in all his glory. Edward sighed once more, pulling his messy hair out of it's lazy braid and letting it fall in golden rivers down his back. He had one hell of a time trying to make it towards his door in the darkness, but he was thankful for the flashes of lightning that followed after the thunder to help guide his way. Edward swung his door open, not bothering to close the door behind him as his bare-feet padded and clunked against the ground. This is one of the times that he hated automail, because it could never be silent when he wanted to. "Edward, you awake?" Alphonse called, the sound of his footprints coming from the other side of the dark hallway. Edward smiled when he saw his brother standing in the doorway to the guest bedroom, a lit candlestick in his hands. "So you've found my stash of matches and candlesticks have you?" Edward asked, coming closer to his brother. "Yeah, you are very predictable with where you hide your stuff." Alphonse shrugged, walking down the hallway and into the kitchen. Edward shook his head and followed behind his brother, seating himself at a empty seat at the dining room table. "Do you happen to know what time it is Ed?" Alphonse asked, grabbing two tall glasses from the cupboard and filling them up with cold tap water. "I'm not sure, but my pocket-watch should be on the other side of the microwave." Ed stated, grabbing one of the glasses from Al's extended arms. "Thank-you." Edward whispered, taking a large gulp of the cold water. "No problem." Al chuckled, walking over and reaching beside the microwave, a flash of silver telling Ed that Alphonse had found the pocket watch. "It's six." Alphonse stated, dropping the pocket-watch in the middle of the wooden table. "Wow, I have to get to work in one hour." Edward sighed, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip of his water. "Do you want me to come with you?" Alphonse asked, pulling his hair out of the ponytail and retying it. "That's up to you, but I would like it if you did come." Edward smiled, sipping on his drink. "Then I'll come, there's nothing much for me to do here anyways." Alphonse chuckled, smiling at his older brother. "Except phone sex Winry." Edward snorted, taking a sip of his water. "Shut up."

"I fucking hate storms!" Edward screamed as his umbrella turned inside out for the fifth time on their way to Headquarters. Alphonse tried to control his laughter as his brother gave up and tossed his umbrella on the side of the road, deciding that he wasn't going to bother with it anymore. "Brother. Calm down." Alphonse chuckled, jogging against the winds to catch up to his fuming brother. "No! That was my good umbrella!" Edward pouted, doing a little jump to emphasize his pain. "Ed, I'll buy you a new one, let's just get you to work okay?" Alphonse asked, clapping a hand on his brothers soaking shoulder. Edward let out a exasperated sigh and held his hands over his eyes to shield them from the pouring rain. "It doesn't look like the umbrella was doing anything anyway." Alphonse sighed, brushing his wet bangs out of his eyes. "No it wasn't but still. I'm going to miss that umbrella." he sighed, raising his hand in a mocked salute. "Yes, we will all miss him dearly." Alphonse agreed, saluting to the air too. "It was a girl Alphonse, get it right." Edward fake cried, smacking Alphonse in the ribs. "I apologize, great brother mine." Alphonse stated, bowing softly to the still exasperated looking Edward. "Apology accepted." Edward chuckled, jumping as a burst of thunder echoed through the courtyard or Headquarters. "I think we should make a run for it." Alphonse shrugged, eyes still widened from the sudden burst of sound. "I agree." Ed stated, sprinting as fast as he could up the stairs, Alphonse trailing in his coat-tails.

"Good Morning, Major Elric." Hawkeye chirped as Edward and Alphonse stepped into the office, their hair dripping and their clothes soaked through. "How can you be so happy? This weather is horrid." Edward asked, shaking his hair out lightly, causing even more drips of rain to stain the carpet. "I love the rain." "You're insane." Hawkeye laughed at Edward's comeback, smiling as the boy threw his coat onto the coat rack, and clapped his hands together, slamming them against his chest to make the water evaporate from his clothes. "And this is why I love being an alchemist, I can do shit like that without having to get a change of clothes." Edward chuckled, turning his body so that he could quickly do the same for his brother. "You really need to wear gloves with transmutation circles on them or something Al." Edward chuckled at his now dried brother. "I do have some, I just forgot where I put them." Al confessed, putting his hands in the air. "Typical." Edward chuckled, making his way over to Riza's desk. "So what do I have to do today?" Ed chuckled, resting his elbow against the desk. "You actually have nothing, you finished it all up yesterday." Riza chuckled, smiling. "If you want to stay here you can, Roy's in his office with Hayate." Riza chuckled, darting her eyes back to the computer and began to type. "Why's Hayate here?" Alphonse asked, pulling off his coat and hanging it beside his brother's. "He hates thunder, and I thought it wouldn't be safe to leave him home and destroy everything I love." Riza chuckled, a light smirk on her lips. "Gotcha." Edward winked, opening Roy's door and walking in. "Good Morning, Colonel." Alphonse announced as he stepped through the door behind his brother. "Morning Edward, Alphonse." Roy nodded, frowning at the dog who was currently taking all the space in his lap. Another burst of thunder echoed through the room, causing Edward to jump, and Hayate to let out a loud whine. "I can take him from you." Ed stated, walking over and outstretching his arms to grab the whimpering puppy. "Thank-you, maybe I could actually get my work done." Roy chuckled, grabbing the dog in his arms and handing him to Edward over his desk. "You're welcome." Edward chuckled, holding the now excited dog closely as it attacked his face with it's tongue. "Thank you Hayate, I really did need that." Edward muttered sarcastically, sitting down and pulling the dog onto his lap, rubbing it's ears softly. "I thought for sure that you guys wouldn't have come in this morning." Roy chuckled, filling out a form in his messy scrawl. "Well, there really is nothing to do in my dorm. So we might as well come here so we could have social interaction, and I needed to make sure that I didn't have any work." Ed smiled, chuckling as Hayate licked his face. "The only social contact I get when you aren't here is for meetings and the occasional bearer of 'good' news. So thank-you for coming." Roy chuckled, tapping his pen against the paper as he looked into the golden eyes of Ed. "Don't worry, we would have came anyway." Alphonse smiled, reaching over to his brother and patting Hayate on the head. "I know you would have." Roy chuckled back, a smile growing across his lips.

Mid-afternoon and the rain was still falling in barrels, but the thunder and lightning had finally ceased. Alphonse had been lulled asleep by the sound of rain pouring down and he was laying on his side, his feet kicked up on top of Edward's lap, with Hayate laying across his chest. Edward sighed lightly as he rested his head on his automail hand, watching the rain pelt and drip down the window. It was a comforting thing to watch, but Edward still hated storms. "I'm surprised that you haven't gone to the mess hall to get something to eat yet." Roy chuckled, kicking his feet up on his desk and smiling lightly. "No, because that would mean that I would have to go outside, and my umbrella passed away on our way here. I don't want to get soaked again. "Of coarse. Would you like me to get Feury or Havoc to bring us something from the mess? It's almost their lunch break so I would expect them to be heading down to the mess soon." Roy stated, running a hand through his hair. "I would greatly appreciate it. Don't forget Al, he hasn't eaten anything all day, so it would be nice for him to wake up with something to eat." Ed smiled, glancing down at his sleeping brother. "Okay, I'll be right back then." Roy stated, kicking his feet off his desk and standing up, hastily walking towards the door. Edward sighed the moment that Roy disappeared through the doors, and he dropped his head into his hands. "Why does this have to be so damn hard?" he asked the air around him. Ed hated the fact that Roy would never return the feelings that were so greatly passed towards the older man. He hated the fact that Roy was never going to think of Edward as more than a subordinate, or a friend. He hated the fact, that he wasn't brave enough to tell Roy how he felt, no near death experience could explain how he felt whenever he even thought about mentioning it to Roy.

It hadn't taken Roy long to return back to the room, nor did it take too long for Havoc to appear at the door, three take out boxes in his hand. "Here you go." Jean exclaimed, dropping the three boxes on the coffee table. "You're a lifesaver." Edward and Roy chorused at the same time, causing Havoc to laugh lightly. "You're welcome." he stated, turning on his heel and exiting the office, shutting the door behind him. "Would you mind passing me mine?" Roy chuckled, dropping his pen and looking pleadingly at Ed. "Of coarse." Ed chuckled, grabbing the box and tossing it towards the Colonel, it landing perfectly in the middle of his desk. "Thank-you." Edward mumbled a reply before he stripped open his case of food, smiling at the contents of chicken fingers and french fries. "So the food here isn't as crappy as it used to be?" Ed asked, chuckling lightly as he picked up a still warm chicken finger, taking a generous bite of it. "There are some advantages to the fuhrer we have now, he felt like it was a needed thing for every station, from here to Briggs, to get their chefs updated." Roy chuckled, kicking up his feet as he too, took a chicken finger. "I think that this may be the only reason I like him." Edward chuckled, shoving the rest of the chicken into his open mouth. "I'm just curious, but why do you hate thunder so much?" Roy asked, placing his food to the side so he could listen to Edward. Ed sighed, closing the take out box and dropping it on the table. Hayate obviously sensed his discomfort, and jolted up from on top of Alphonse, crawling over until he was laying across the blonde's lap, his tongue licking Ed's hands comfortably. "Well, this is pretty hard to explain. Please bear with me." Edward sighed, running his unoccupied hand through his hair. Roy nodded, closing his own container, crossing his hands under his chin. Edward wasn't used to Roy paying this much attention to him, so he was slightly nervous as he began his story. "You probably didn't know this, but when Alphonse and I were both on the other side of the gates, we had joined the Military there. I expected it to be slightly what it was when I was here, but neither of us were prepared for what was going to happen during those short weeks that we were there." Edward stated, burying his flesh fingers into Hayate's fur, sighing softly. "I learned how to handle a gun, my aim improved drastically by the second week in my training that they named me the sniper of the German Army. Our leader was a fuhrer named Hitler, and he believed that the Jewish population was 'impure'. Alphonse and I were immediately transferred into the group of soldiers that had to go collect the Jews and bring them to concentration camps, killing the ones who disagreed with what was being done to them. Truthfully, I still haven't forgiven myself for the lives that I took, for the children that had to view as I murdered their parents in front of their eyes. Their screams still echo through my mind every night, while I'm on the brink of sleep. Just imagine, two teenagers, being forced by gunpoint to kill parents in front of their children." Edward stated, staring blankly at the wall as he felt the corners of his eyes begin to itch. "The reason I hate the thunder, is because every time a gunshot or a bomb went off, it echoed like thunder, and it's haunted me ever since." Edward all but whispered, his voice cracking at the final word.

Roy sat at his desk, stunned by what he had just heard. His heart had successfully dropped to his stomach and he could see the pain in the blonde's eyes as the silent tears streaked down his face. Roy slowly lifted himself off his chair and walked over to Edward, who was trying desperately to cover his tears in Hayate's fur. "Edward, stop trying to hide your emotions and look at me." Roy whispered, placing his gloved hand on Ed's kneecap. "I'm sorry." Edward whispered, lifting his head up to reveal red, tear stained golden eyes. "You have nothing, absolutely nothing to be sorry for." Roy stated, rubbing his thumb in soothing circles over the blonde's knee. "I'm crying, and I never cry, that's enough of a excuse to be sorry." Edward whispered back, containing a sob. "No Edward, that's where you are wrong. You may think that this is impossible, but I still cry sometimes. Sometimes emotions aren't meant to be held in and you just break down, it just shows us that we're humans." Roy muttered, raising a gloved hand to wipe some stray tears from Ed's eyes. "I've had to kill more than my fair share of people in my life too, and my hands are still bloodstained from it. I regret every last person that I led to death, because I know that if I had tried, I could have saved them instead of killed. You can't take back what you've done, but you can move on, and I'm here to help that process, along with Alphonse. "We're here to help you heal." Roy ended, feeling his own eyes itch with unresponsive tears. Before Roy even had a chance to continue with his speech, he fell backwards, his torso being held tightly by a now sobbing Edward. "And I promise you. I'm going to make it my first goal in life, to help you heal." Roy whispered into Edward's golden hair, before snaking his hands around the blonde's waist, pulling him closer and holding him tightly, giving him the comfort that he so desperately needed.


	9. Luminous

Alphonse had woken up somewhere in-between his brother's explanation and to say the least. He was damn proud of his brother. It may have seemed strange, that Alphonse would be proud of his brother for explaining what had happened, along with breaking down. But to Alphonse, it meant that Edward was finally breaking out of the barrier that he had held so tightly around himself, not letting any words be passed about certain moments that had happened during their time on the other sides of the gate. Alphonse was extremely proud, and he was sure that he was going to be for a long time. Alphonse finally fluttered his eyes open when he felt the weight of Hayate settling down on the couch beside his feet, and he slowly raised himself to a sitting position, making sure not to disturb his sobbing brother. Roy's eye caught on his when he looked over. Roy was on the floor, supporting himself up with one arm as Edward was tied tightly around his waist, his head buried in Roy's neck. "Should I leave?" Alphonse asked, motioning a thumb towards the door, receiving a barely visible nod in response Al frowned, picking himself off the couch, making minimal noise as he padded softly to the door, easing it open before easing it shut behind him. But not without taking one last look at the embracing Ed and Roy. Alphonse smiled lightly to himself, happy that his brother finally found somebody that he could lean on without having to hold back, not even Al had been able to fill that position. Alphonse walked over to Riza's desk, telling her quickly that he was going to run back to Edward's house, to make him some tea. "Don't be gone for too long, I wouldn't doubt that he'll come after you if you're gone for more than a hour." Riza chuckled, smiling lightly at the teen. "Of coarse, I wouldn't doubt it either." Alphonse smiled, saluting softly as he walked out the office doors, soon disappearing into the cold, wet air.

Roy's office was now fairly quiet, except for the occasional sniffle from Edward. The food was left on the table, forgotten and long since cold, and the rain slowly continued to fall. Roy's gloved hand continued to rub silent circles in Edward's back, easing the tears that were falling to discontinue themselves. Edward let out a shuddering sigh, pulling away from Roy and remaining planted on his knees, his now bright golden eyes staring at the navy blue carpet with interested eyes. Roy didn't feel the need to break the peace, or to say anything in general, because he was worried about saying the wrong thing, something that would be comforting to somebody else, may not be as comforting to Ed. "Again, I'm sorry." Edward whispered, not trusting his voice completely. "Stop saying sorry." Roy chuckled, sending a warming smile the blond's direction. "I'm sor-" "Ed." Roy cut off, stopping the apology before it had finished. "Oops." Edward chuckled, smiling lightly back at the black haired man. "You know, that wasn't that bad. That felt slightly.. good." Edward hesitated before saying the last word. Roy smiled, nodding in understanding. "Of coarse it would, you don't get many chances to let your emotions out really." Roy stated, standing up and cracking his back, before letting his hand reach down to help Edward up. "No, I don't actually." Edward said at last, grabbing a hold on Roy's hand as Roy pulled them up, letting a light sigh out. Edward stood there for a moment, staring into the dark blue eyes of his superior officer, a light red tinge to his face and a light smirk across his lips. Their hands hadn't parted yet, and neither Roy nor Edward were making a attempt to break the silence. "I'm going to say this once more, but I'm here to help you heal. I don't care what time it is, you can call me whenever, or just show up at my office or doorstep, and I'll let you in. I'll do whatever it takes, to return you to the Edward you were before you went to the other side of the gates." Roy stated, squeezing Ed's hand tighter in his gloved one. "I'll take you up on that offer." Edward stated, smiling lightly and lent forward, wrapping his arms around the black haired man's once more, sighing in happiness as the hug was returned.

Alphonse was now walking the streets of Central, a excited looking Hayate jogging around him in light circles, letting out a happy yip whenever he turned a corner. Alphonse loved the company of this little dog, and even though his constant yipping could get irritating sometimes he was still a great companion. "Hayate, stay." Alphonse demanded, pointing at the outside of the small shop. Hayate grumbled lightly, but obeyed, laying down beside the door. Al smiled at the obedience, before he pulled the door open, hearing the light tinkle of bells as the door opened all the way. "Good Afternoon!" a chirpy voice called as he stepped onto the bright white tiles. "Hello." Alphonse chuckled back, smiling at the young woman who stood at the jewelry shop counter. "Is there anything I can help you with today, sir?" the woman asked, flipping her black hair over her exposed shoulder, her eyes boring into Al's. "Actually yes." Alphonse chuckled, walking over to the counter and pressing his hands against the glass of the clear counter. "I was wondering, do you guys do custom pieces " Alphonse asked, smiling lightly. "Of coarse we do, are you willing to make a request?" She asked, smiling lightly as she brought a pad of paper over. "Yes, if you don't mind, could I borrow a piece of paper so I can sketch it out?" he asked, a smile still pressed on his lips. "Yes, of coarse." she chuckled, handing the pad of paper and a thin pencil over to Al. "Thank you." he whispered, beginning to sketch out what he wanted. When he was finished, he smiled happily at himself. Alphonse had waited forever for a great moment to give his brother a present, and he felt like now was the correct timing. Al double checked the detailed flamel he had drawn before pushing the pad and pencil back to the woman. "That's very beautiful, for your special somebody?" She winked, smiling and ripping the sheet of paper off, bringing towards the back so she could get started on the mold. "Actually, it's for my brother." Alphonse chuckled, sending a smirk towards the woman's back. "Well, your brother is in for one great gift. What types of metal would you like to use? Gold, Silver or Platinum?" She asked, turning back around and cocking her eyebrow at the boy. "If it's possible, I would like to get the chain in silver and the charm in gold." he stated, smiling at the mental image. "That's very possible, and because of the gold, it should be done by tomorrow evening, around six o'clock." she smiled, nodding her head sharply at Al. "Thank-you. I'll come around that time tomorrow." he chuckled, turning on his heel and heading towards the door. "See you then!" She called after him, a smile evident in her voice. Alphonse then left the store, Hayate following at his heels, in a very good mood.

Al took his time heading back to Headquarters. He wanted to make sure, that if he went back up to Roy's office, that he wouldn't be intervening with any important conversation or moment that may be happening. He sighed happily to himself as he walked across the courtyard, kicking small pebbles across the brick pathway. People were passing by him quickly, their military uniforms fluttering out behind them as they walked. Alphonse had debated joining the military multiple times, but he was sure that both Winry and Edward would kick his ass and force him to resign as soon as he would be allowed. He chuckled, imagining that actually happening as he knelt down, reaching his hands down to rub behind Hayate's ears. "I want to have a pet just like you." Alphonse chuckled, smiling as Hayate rubbed his head against Al's knee. "Should we go back up to the office now?" Alphonse asked the puppy, chuckling lightly as the puppy barked happily, wagging his tail. "Let's go then." Al stated, raising back onto his feet as the dog ran slightly in front of him.

Edward had now fully recovered from his little 'incident'. His eyes were still slightly pink and puffy, but the tears had stopped, and so had the sobs. Ed was laying across Roy's couch, running his fingers along the contours of his automail, he really needed to get it replaced, it was majorly scratched and dented. "Are you planning on going back to Risembool anytime soon?" Roy asked, smiling lightly as the golden eyes caught his. "I was planning on heading out for a week sometime soon, maybe two weeks after Alphonse leaves I'll head out. I need automail repairs and I miss some of the people there." Edward smiled, pulling himself into a sitting position as he stared up at the ceiling. "They must miss you." Roy pointed out, sighing lightly as he kicked his feet up on his desk, bored of his paperwork. "Of coarse. Winry does, but she would never admit it. Aunt Pinako always enjoys me coming down, because she gets the money from my repairs." he chuckled, fiddling with the fabric of his pants. "It's not just that reason, she loves both you and Alphonse dearly." Roy chuckled. "I'm aware of that, both of them are the only family Al and I have left." Edward stated, his lips curving up in a smile, it quickly disappearing as he heard a knock on the door. "Enter." Roy stated, using his 'professional' tone. Edward smiled lightly as the head of Alphonse poked out from around the door. "I didn't even notice you were gone." Edward smirked, moving over so his brother could resume his previous position. "Thanks, I love you too." Alphonse stated, closing the door and chuckling lightly. "I hate you." Edward chirped, smiling at his brother. "I want to kill you." Alphonse chirped back, resuming his spot at the edge of the couch. "You guys are weird." Roy chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "Coming from you." Ed and Al chorused at the same time, causing Roy to burst into laughter. "Of coarse, you have a point there." Roy chuckled when he finally managed to get his laughter under control.

The day continued to drone on slowly and silently. Not many words had been spoken and it seemed like a content silence. Alphonse had his head in his brother's lap and Edward braided and re-braided the loose hair falling from his ponytail. "You can take the ponytail out if you'd like." Alphonse chuckled as Edward searched for new hair to braid. "Yes!" Edward exclaimed, pushing his brother into a sitting position so he could pull the black tie loose. "Stand up." Edward stated when Al's hair fell down in straight rivers over his shoulders. Al obeyed silently, standing down and looking down at his brother. "Face the other wall and get down on your knees." Edward demanded, pushing his brother into turning. "But brother, that's incest." Alphonse whined, obliging. Edward tried to contain his laughter as he heard the light chuckles coming from the direction of Roy's desk. "You're really perverted." Edward chuckled, smacking his brother in the chest. "I only learned from the best." Alphonse chuckled. "Roy-" "Hey!" "No you silly." Alphonse chuckled, turning around and poking his tongue out at his brother. "I'm not perverted." Edward whined, pushing his brother down as he separated his hair into three sections. "Edward, don't deny it, you are." Al pointed out, sighing lightly. "Care to give a example?" Edward asked, beginning to overlap the three sections of hair. "'You want to get your rocks off with Miss Rockbell', 'He's probably off to have phone sex with Miss Rockbell'" Al stated, making air quotes with his fingers. "He actually said the first one?" Roy asked in disbelief from his desk. "I did." Edward chuckled. "Very well thought, good job." Roy chuckled, smiling at the blonde. "I know I'm the best." Edward chuckled, finishing the braid in Alphonse's hair. "Done." Edward chuckled, patting Alphonse's back and smiling lightly when he resumed his position once again. "Thanks brother, I'm sure it looks wonderful." Alphonse chuckled, laying back down and throwing his legs over Ed's.


	10. Crystal

"Are you going to be fine coming to work tomorrow?" Roy asked as he, Ed and Alphonse walked out of Headquarters, their shoulder bags in tote. "I should be fine, but I might move back to my desk for the day." Edward chuckled, hip bumping his brother happily. "What if I brought your desk into my office?" Roy asked, smiling cheekily at the younger boy. "I probably wouldn't care. It would mean more social contact." Edward laughed, smiling back at Roy. "Winry wants me to go back sometime next week." Alphonse chuckled, smiling lightly at the pair. "Oh does she know that I'm coming?" Ed asked, leaning lightly so he could bump his shoulder with his brothers. "Of coarse not. I'm sure that both of us want to keep it a surprise." Al chuckled. "Even if she takes our lives I won't let you tell her, it's going to be a great surprise." Ed chuckled back, twisting a extra hairband between his fingers. "How long are you going to be gone?" Roy asked, a small smile planted across his lips. "Maybe one or two weeks, trust me. It's not going to be long. There's only so much sex noises I can deal with." Edward grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Roy coughed, covering up his laughter. "Edward, you are not the only alchemist. I can soundproof." Al chuckled, causing a already disturbed Edward to gag, and switch walking spaces with Roy. "That was not something I really like hearing Al, you're my younger brother, and that's just scary because Winry's like a sister to me." Edward groaned in disgust. "Well at least I'm not a virgin." Alphonse taunted, wiping away joking tears. "Shut up! You should be!" Edward shouted back, a red tinge spreading across his cheeks. "You guys fight with no end, but you are perfectly fine seconds later." Roy chuckled, shaking his head. "Whatever do you mean, Roy dearest?" Al asked, slowly making his way towards his brother. Alphonse made sure Roy was watching before jumping onto Ed's back with ease, Ed catching him before he slid to the ground. "We never fight." Edward whispered, looking over to Roy and batting his eyelashes. "I'm so done with the lot of you." Roy sighed, pressing his palm to his forehead and walking faster.

"Edward, do you happen to know what time it is?" Alphonse asked, as he tightened his leg grip around his brother's waist, hoping not to fall off. "Erm, Roy? Got your pocketwatch?" Edward asked, nodding his head at the boy on his back. "Of coarse." Roy chuckled, pulling the silver pocketwatch out of his pocket. "It's three quarters past five." Roy stated, dropping his watch back into his pocket. "You could have just said five fourty-five." Edward chuckled, kicking the black haired man's boot before catching his balance, not wanting to fall. "Shit. Ed please put me down." Alphonse stated, trying to remove himself from Ed's grip. "What, why?" Edward asked, releasing his grip and assisting his brother to get on his feet. "I have to pick something up at six, and the place is twenty minutes away." Alphonse groaned, running a hand through his hair. "What do you need to pick up?" Ed asked, staring at his brother oddly. "It's a surprise, anyways, I have to get going. See both of you later." Alphonse called before jogging down the street, his jacket flairing out behind him. "He never told me he needed to pick anything up." Edward sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair. "Don't worry about him, it's probably something really important to him so he had to rush away." Roy pointed out, running a hand through his own hair. "Yeah, probably." Edward chuckled, straightening his jacket. "Do you want to go for coffee or something? My treat." Edward taunted, chuckling at the older, and taller man. "Of coarse, I would love to. But I'm not letting you pay for me." Roy chuckled, poking Ed in the shoulder. "We'll soon see about that." Edward chuckled, skipping happily alongside Roy.

Alphonse continued his jog until he made it to the jewelry shop that he had just visited the day before. Al was praying that his brother would like the gift that Alphonse was giving, but he wasn't so sure. Edward was never one who loved gifts being given to himself, he loved giving to other people but he wasn't a fan of recieving them himself. Al's breath was coming out in ragged puffs when he reached the store, and he realized just how out of shape he actually was. Chuckling lightly to himself, he held the door open, putting a polite smile on his face. "Afternoon!" the chirpy female's voice called, causing Alphonse to jump lightly at the high pitched tone. "Hello!" Al called up, walking over to the counter. "I'm just making a rough guess that you're here to pick up that necklace." she chuckled sarcastically, turning around and grabbing a envelope. "You would be correct." Alphonse chuckled, leaning against the counter. "Here you are." she stated, placing the bulging envelope on the counter and opening it to reveal a dark red velvet box. "I used a darker silver so that it didn't clash badly with the gold, but I think it looks beautiful, and your brother will love it." she stated, opening the box and handing it to Al. Alphonse stared at the box in amazement. It had turned out better than he expected it to, and she added details that didn't seem possible. "Thank you so much." Alphonse stated, shoving the box into his front pocket as he pulled out the amount of money that would be accepted and he paused a minute to let her count it before she nodded. "You're very welcome." she stated as Alphonse all but sprinted out the door, his footsteps echoing as he exited.

Al was taking his time to get to Edward's dorm because he suspected that Roy and Ed had probably gone out for coffee or for a bite to eat. The clouds began to darken once again and Al cursed, hoping that it didn't rain as he had something as precious as he did in his pocket. "Shit." he mumbled, picking up the speed as he walked, slowly gaining to a jog. Al was happy that nobody was out at this time, because he could only assume that anyone that saw, or heard a teenager jogging down the street, mumbling 'shit' repetitively under his breath would creep out quite a few people. He let out a puff of breath when he finally reached the doors to Edward's dorm, but then swore again when he realized that Ed hadn't given his key. "Well, I guess I'll just have to keep myself company." Al chuckled, leaning against the wall beside his doorway, slowly sliding down it.

When the first strike of thunder hit, was the moment that Edward Elric nearly had a heart attack. Ed had jumped nearly out of his seat at the coffee-shop that was two blocks away from his dorm, and he was happy that he had managed not to spill his drink everywhere. "Not again." Edward sighed, dropping his arms on the table and hiding his face in the crook of his elbow. "Edward, you're going to be okay." Roy stated encouragingly, reaching a hand over and grabbing on to Ed's arm, squeezing lightly. Edward sighed lightly, not caring that he was once again, letting his fears break loose. If he trusted Roy enough to tell him about his fears, he should be just fine showing them. "I'm fine." Edward mumbled, raising his head from his elbow and grabbing his cup of coffee, taking a large sip to calm himself. "I'm here to help you heal, remember that." Roy whispered, dragging his hand back from Roy's arm, dropping it in his lap. "I haven't yet forgotten." Edward chuckled, taking another sip and jumping lightly as a flash of lightning burst from his peripheral vision. "I feel childish, being afraid of thunder and lightning." Edward sighed, putting his automail hand underneath his head to support it as he leaned slightly to the side. "You aren't childish. You've never been childish, maybe irrational, but never childish." Roy stated, sending a small smile Ed's way. "Was I irrational?" Edward asked, not quite recalling a time. "You were, ask anyone. Even your brother acknowledges it." Roy chuckled, grinning when Edward didn't notice the next clap of thunder. "I still don't remember." "You didn't jump at that clap of thunder, Ed." Roy stated, his smile growing wider. "I didn't?" "No you didn't." Roy reassured, smiling when Edward did a fist pump in the air, but nearly laughing when Edward almost fell out of his chair when the next clap echoed through the room. "Well, that was fun while it lasted." Edward sighed, chuckling lightly as he saw Roy's suppressed laughter face. "You look beautiful when you're about to die." Edward stated, crossing his legs and watching as Roy crumpled into laughter in front of his eyes.


	11. Aflame

**_Okay, before you read this, I would like to let you know that I am especially bad at writing sap, and when I write like that I always end with a cliffhanger, but I am currently typing out the next chapter as we speak, so it won't be that bad a wait, and sorry if it was too early to begin the romance/whateverthefuckitis. _**

**_~ChayseElric_**

* * *

Roy and Ed soon found themselves walking through the rain, tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. Due to Roy's excessive bout of laughter, the two of them had been kicked out of the coffee shop, being forced to leave their coffee's behind. "That was awesome." Edward choked out through his laughter. "That was." Roy chuckled back, smiling as he watched Ed continue to laugh. Edward's laugh was so contagious, that he found himself laughing soon after. "I think we should go to coffee shops more often together." Roy chuckled, flinging his arm around Ed's broad shoulders. "I agree." Ed smiled, subconsciously leaning into the taller man. Roy almost gasped at the sudden increase in contact, but then he smiled. Cherishing the moments that he got to spend with Ed would be the best thing to do. A crash of thunder echoed through the streets, causing Edward to turn to the side and fling his arms around Roy's torso. "Edward, you're fine." Roy chuckled, wrapping his arms around the blonde, rubbing soothing circles into Ed's back. "I don't feel fine." Edward sighed, tightening his grip and resting his head on Roy's chest as a second crash echoed. "But you are. I'm here and you look fine." Roy whispered back, resting his chin on top of Ed's head. "I'll help you if it get's rough Ed, I'm right beside you." Roy stated, hugging Ed closer. "Thank-you." Edward sighed, slowly pulling himself away and continuing his walk, keeping close distance between himself and Roy. "You're my best-friend as of late, I hope you know that." Edward sighed, stepping closer to Roy. "I'm glad." Roy stated, ignoring the sinking feeling in his chest.

A best friend was all Roy would be to Edward, nothing more nothing less. Despite Roy's displeasure in being called just his 'best friend'. Roy understood that his feeling would not be returned. He was speaking about Ed here, the one who had his walls up so high that nobody would dare attempt to trespass. Nobody other than Alphonse understood why those walls were up, or what they contained, and Roy hoped that anyone else that found out wouldn't use it negatively on the younger man. Edward meant the world to Ed, even though Ed might not notice. But he was willing to pull a few strings and and char-broil anybody who dared lay a wrongful hand on Edward. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling that resided inside his chest, getting heavier by the second as he walked slowly beside Ed. "Roy?" Edward asked, his golden eyes appearing concerned as he looked over the black haired man. "Yes?" Roy asked, looking up and trying to dissolve any look of devastation from them. "Are you okay? You suddenly went silent." Edward stated, stepping closer to Roy. "I'm fine. At least, I think I am." Roy muttered, blinking a few times before looking back to the cement, listening carefully to the pattering rain. "Do you want to talk about it?" Ed asked, reaching out and wrapping a arm around Roy's waist as they walked. "I'm not sure." Roy sighed, running a free hand through his hair. "You can if you want to, I will listen. If you want to you can stay at my dorm for a little bit. I'm sure Alphonse wouldn't mind." Ed suggested, giving Roy a reassuring squeeze. "Of coarse, I'd like that." Roy whispered back, sighing once again.

Edward was quite concerned over Roy's sudden change in attitude. He could tell just by looking in his eyes that Roy was upset about something, even though Roy may not seem like a open book, Edward could read his emotions clearly, and without hesitation. Ed clung on to Roy's side, hoping to give him the comfort of having someone there for him like Roy had done previously. Edward tried to hold back sighs as he held tightly on to Roy's torso, the sweet smell of his cologne swirling around in the cold, wet air around them. Both of them hadn't spoken a word, but it was a comfortable silence, and Edward thoroughly enjoyed just being able to be there in the presence of Roy, no matter if they were silent or not. He was falling deeper and deeper for Roy every single passing day, and he had opened up more to Roy than he had for the most part, his own brother. Edward felt comfortable with speaking with personal matters with Roy because he knew, no matter how harsh it may be, Roy would never judge him, nor would he judge Roy. The closer the two got, the harder Edward fell, to the point where even mention of Roy's name made his head dart around, hoping to find him somewhere near. "Took you long enough." Alphonse groaned from his spot on the ground when Edward had reached the door. Al gave a confused look at the attached two but decided not to ask, pulling himself off the ground and cracking his back. "How long exactly were you here?" Edward asked, reluctantly detaching Roy from his side so he could pull the keys from his pocket and shove the home key in the lock. "I don't know, maybe a hour." Alphonse shrugged, smiling as his brother gave him a odd look. "And you didn't just use alchemy to get inside, why?" Edward asked, swinging the door open and sliding to the side, waiting for the both of them to enter before him. "Ladies first." Edward muttered jokingly, following after the two. "Because I didn't want anybody to think that I was breaking into your dorm, remember when I was caught last time?" Alphonse asked, pulling off his boots before letting them drop to the floor. "Of coarse I remember, I had to help you get away from those cops to convince them you weren't actually breaking in." Edward chuckled, rolling his eyes at the memory. "Yeah, now you understand why I wasn't taking any chances." Al chuckled, pulling his coat off and hanging it up before he dashed into the kitchen. "Obviously, he's hungry." Edward laughed, rolling his eyes as he pulled his own boots and jacket off.

"Do you want some tea?" Edward asked as Roy settled himself on the green leather of Ed's couch, a light frown lacing his lips. "No thanks, I'm good." Roy muttered, staring at the coffee table in front of him. "Okay, tell me what's bothering you." Ed stated, placing himself down on the table in front of Roy, so he couldn't help but look at Ed. "I'm not entirely sure, but I've fallen for somebody and I don't know what to do." he sighed, leaning his head into his hands. "Tell me about him, I want to know." Edward chuckled, leaning forward in interest. "Maybe it could help ease some of your frustration. "Well, he has a beautiful smile and memorizing eyes for the first one. "What color eyes?" Ed asked, spaced out trying to mentally image the person that he was standing against. "Gold." Roy whispered, smiling lightly. Ed's eyes widened slightly and he felt his heart beat harder with hope, hope that this person could be him but then he slowed down, knowing that it couldn't ever be him. "Everything about him makes me fall in love once again every-time I see his sparkling eyes, and I can't imagine what life would be like without him. "Do you think that his feelings could be the same as yours?" Ed asked, leaning back slightly and tapping his feet on the ground in front of him. "No, I don't think anyone could love me the amount that I feel I love him." Roy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Are you going to tell me who this person is yet?" Ed asked impatiently, smiling lightly, not expecting an answer.

"It's you. Edward."


	12. Bright

Edward just sat there, his eyes directed to the floor. He couldn't even believe what he had just heard, was he dreaming? No, he couldn't be, he didn't dream about things like this normally. "Edward, I love you, okay? There, I said it. I'm really sorry if you don't feel the same way, but I need to get this out." Roy broke off to sigh. "I love you, and you're the only thing that has managed to keep me happy over these couple of months, even if we argued for half of it, just seeing you everyday made me happy. I can't imagine not being close to me, but if you don't feel the same way, I can leave right now, and waltz right out of your life, but I promise you, I will never forget you." Roy stated, his voice lightly cracking as he tried to bring himself to his feet, but a hand grabbing his and pulling him back down stopped him. "Wait." Edward whispered, not loosening his hold on Roy just yet. "Don't leave. Please." Ed begged, managing to move his bleary eyes up to meet Roy's. "I feel the same way, please, don't leave me." Edward whispered, his lip quivering slightly, and the pleading look in his eyes intensifying. "I won't leave, I promise." Roy whispered, smiling lightly as he looked into Ed's blurry golden eyes. "Roy, I feel the same way, and it's taken me this long to actually come to terms with my feelings, because now I know that they are returned. We're in this together, and that's the way it's going to remain, okay?" Edward asked, a smile slowly curving itself across his lips. "Of coarse." Roy whispered, moving his hand underneath Ed's chin and smiling lightly, before he crashed their lips together, a light chuckle held in his throat.

Alphonse sat at the doorway to the living-room watching in awe at what he saw. He nearly dropped the cup of tea that he was holding lightly in-between his fingers, but he caught himself right in time. He had just witnessed Roy and Ed confess their love for each-other and he just wanted to jump in-between them and hug them both closely, congradulating them firmly, then forcing them to kiss again. But that could wait. Alphonse spun on his socked heel and headed down the hallway, cup of green-tea in hand and a light smile on his face. He finally got to witness the moment where his brother was truly happy, a moment where all that mattered was him and his happiness, and he was genuinely proud. Alphonse opened the door to his room, slipping inside and closing it back up behind him, placing his tea on the table beside his bed he quickly pulled his dress shirt off, revealing a white t-shirt. Al tried stupidly to wipe the smile off his face but encountered no advance so he stopped trying and flung himself on his bed, not bothering to take off his trousers or his socks before he pulled the covers up to his chest, pulling himself up into a sitting position before bringing his tea to his lips once again. Al knew that he was going to have a tough time falling to sleep so he didn't even bother, he just grabbed himself one of Edward's old books and headed off to the bathroom, ready to take a soothing hot bath. Ed's present could wait.

"Out of anything, I never expected us to become friends, let alone whatever you would like to call us now." Edward sighed, burying his head deeply into Roy's chest as they lay together on the couch, their arms wrapped around each-other and their legs tangled together in a way that it would be uncomfortable to get up. "I never expected it either, but I think I could get used to this." Roy sighed, burying his face into Ed's hair, breathing in the lemon scent of his shampoo with a light smile on his face. "I think I could get used to this too." Edward sighed, moving one arm from Roy's body so he could entwine his own fingers with Roy's. Edward was the most content that he had been in weeks, even with Alphonse there, then tenseness of Edward had not disappeared, nor ceased in the lightest, but not all of his stress seemed to fly right out the window. "You know, I've never been with a guy before." Roy chuckled, squeezing Ed's hand lightly. "Mm, well neither have I. I haven't really been with anyone in general." Edward chuckled, hiding his reddening face in Roy's chest. "So I'm your first?" Roy questioned, holding Ed closer. "Depends on what way you mean it." "You call me the pervert." "Of coarse I do, you have more expirience with this shit than I do, you're elligible for the part." Edward chuckled back, smiling to himself. "You have a point there." Roy muttered back. "Yeah, or coarse I do, when don't I." "Don't be a smart-ass, I will remove myself to the floor." "Well I'll just lay on top of you then." "I'm cool with that." Roy shrugged, smiling as Edward reddened slightly in the face. "I'm definitely coming into work tomorrow." Edward sighed, gripping the back of Roy's white shirt. "Of coarse you are, you can't resist me." Roy chuckled, rolling over so he was holding himself up over Edward. "You're a bastard." Edward hissed, slapping his chest lightly. "But I'm your bastard." Roy whispered, leaning down to connect their lips once again.

"You should get going." Edward groaned as they pulled away from heated kiss that they had just shared, their breathing rugged and gasping. "Do I have to?" Roy asked, pulling himself down to Ed's side and wrapping his arms around the man once again. "Well, do we both not have work tomorrow or something?" Ed chuckled sarcastically, tangling their fingers together once again. "We could always call in sick." Roy shrugged, burying his face into the blonde's neck. "No, I don't need more paperwork then I'm going to have, you don't need anymore either." Edward chuckled, tangling his free hand into Roy's short black hair. "Oh, so he does care." Roy chuckled, pulling his face away to press a kiss to the corner of Ed's mouth. "Of coarse I care, I'm not like you." Edward snickered, smiling as Roy looked at him in shock. "I care about things! Like you, thank-you very much." Roy smirked, burying his face once again into Ed's neck. "Come on, it's time to get you out the door." Ed chuckled, squirming from under Roy's weight, struggling to get up. "Can I just stay here on the couch, please?" Roy pleaded, looking with loving eyes at Edward. "As you wish, but I will be in my room." Edward laughed, finally pulling himself out from under Roy and raising to his feet. "Am I allowed-" "No. I actually need to sleep tonight, I didn't get much last night." Ed cut off, turning to leave but stopping when a hand grabbed his arm. "You forgot something." Roy chuckled, lifting himself from the couch and approaching Ed. "And that is?" Ed asked, cocking his head to the side. "This." Roy whispered, pulling Ed close and pulling their lips together. "Is that all?" Edward asked, smiling softly as he gazed at Roy. "Yes of coarse, goodnight Ed." Roy chuckled, pressing his lips to Ed's forehead. "Don't be alarmed if you hear things moving during the night, if the thunder starts up again, I'll be in the kitchen." Edward smiled pulling away from Roy and giving a short wave before disappearing down the hallway. "Damn." Roy muttered to himself, throwing himself back on the couch and eventually drifting to sleep, his thoughts revolving purely around Edward.

Edward woke up once again to the obnoxiously loud crashes of thunder. The storm had picked up once again and the wind was whistling louder than it ever had before in Ed's experience in Central. "Damn it, will this storm ever end." Edward hissed to himself, kicking his feet off the edge of the bed, adjusting his sweat-pants before he skittered to the bathroom, his automail foot clanging irritatingly against the cold, hard ground. That was another downside to automail, it's loudness. Edward hummed a short tune to himself as he opened the bathroom door, flicking the light on and shutting the door behind him. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to adjust to the sudden light. "At least the power hasn't gone out." Edward sighed, running a hand through his messy and tangled bangs. He hadn't bothered to tie his hair up before he went to bed, so it left him with the golden mess he saw now. Ed sighed once again, retrieving a towel from the closet and dropping it onto the hook beside the shower, before he raked a hand through his hair, reaching down with his automail hand to turn the tap on. He might as well have a shower, it's unlike anyone would be up just yet. Edward sat on the edge of the tub, waiting for the water to be the appropriate tempurature before he pulled his clothes off, pulling himself under the stream of hot water. Ed sighed happily as the water ran down the contours of his bare-back. He loved water in general, but couldn't swim because the automail weighed him down, once again, another drawback. Edward did everything he usually did in the shower, working the longest on his hair, before he turned the tap off, hopping out and grabbing the red towel from it's hook, wrapping it around himself immediately to preserve some of the heat that the shower provided. Ed jumped lightly at the next clap of thunder, but sighed, calming himself off before he pulled his sweatpants back on, leaving his shirt forgotten on the floor as he wrapped his hair up into the towel, drying it off it the easiest way. Ed pulled his slightly dirty uniform from his hamper and threw it into the washing-machine, a light smile on his face.

Edward couldn't explain in words the reason why he was so happy right now, seeing as he had woken up far too early to be healthy, he should be grouchy right now, not happy. But the blonde was skipping down the hallway, a pair of slippers on his feet so he didn't wake up Alphonse or Roy. Ed had cleaned almost every single surface in the dorm as he waited for his laundry to be done, and without coffee, he was still very much awake. The only sound you could hear in the house was the drizzling of rain and the occasional clap of thunder, causing Edward to jump and laugh silently to himself every-time. It was around 5 o'clock in the morning when he had finally made his way to the kitchen, sporting his military uniform and still skipping around with the happiest smile on his face. He was still trying to completely understand why the hell he was feeling so happy and jumpy, but he came to no conclusion and continued on with his daily tasks. Ed pulled a container of eggs and a packet of bacon out of the fridge, opening the carton of eggs he pulled out two frying pans, preparing himself to make Roy and Al, one hell of a breakfast.

* * *

**_Was that a Kuroshitsuji reference at the end of the chapter? No, of coarse not! I'm sorry but I'm really random today, and that's probably because I got little-to-no sleep last night and I'm full of fluffy ideas. I finally finished Soul-Eater last night so honestly, I'm writing lots of emotional things that I probably won't ever post, but whatever. _**

**_I'm sorry that I left the last chapter in a cliffhanger, but like I explained, when I have my characters confess their love to each-other I always have a cliffhanger somewhere in there. _**

**_Love you guys! _**

**_~ChayseElric_**


	13. Brilliant

"Alphonse, you gotta wake up." Edward whispered, lightly shaking his brother's shoulder in an attempt to wake him up, but Al wouldn't move other than to roll over and keep his steady snoring pattern ablaze. "Fine, you can stay here today." Edward groaned, giving up on his attempts. When Edward went to get up, a red box caught in the corner of his eye and he walked over to the windowsil where it was placed. It was a red velvet box, with the name 'Edward' embroidered into the top in gold. "Huh?" Edward asked himself, picking it up in his automail hand and inspecting it thoroughly hesitating before he cracked the lid open. Edward's eyes widened as he stared at the beautiful necklace that was in front of him and he could tell that because of the flamel, it was meant for him. The silver of the chain shimmered lightly in the bright streak of sunlight coming in through the window and Edward couldn't tear his eyes away from it. "So, I see you've discovered what I was planning on giving you on a later date." Alphonse chuckled groggily from behind Edward, causing Ed to jump lightly and nearly drop the box. "Careful now, wouldn't want to scratch that before you wear it." Alphonse smiled, lifting himself from the bed and stretching his back before walking over to his brother and standing behind him. "Box please." Alphonse asked, holding a hand out. Edward handed the box over without hesitation continuing to stare out at the sun that was slowly beginning to rise. Ed hissed as he felt contact of cold metal cross his neck, but then he smiled, realizing what Al was doing. "I don't deserve a brother like you." Ed whispered, turning around to catch Ed in a hug. "Of coarse you do, you don't even know why I gave it to you though." Alphonse chuckled, stepping back to examine how it looked on Ed. "Tell me then?" Edward asked, looking down and adjusting the chain before looking back to his brother. "I would be more than willing to share over a cup of coffee, I'm not sure about you, but I'm half asleep." Al chuckled, linking arms with Ed before dragging him out of the room.

"Are you going to tell me now?" Edward asked, handing his brother a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs and bacon. "Of coarse I am, after I eat my food." Alphonse stated, smirking lightly as Edward groaned impatiently. "If you haven't noticed, I'm very impatient." Edward sighed, pulling a chair up next to his brother. "By the way, Roy's still here." Edward stated, crossing his legs and smiling at Alphonse. Edward grabbed his cup of coffee of the kitchen table and took a large sip, feeling the warm liquid seep down his throat. "Did you get it in last night?" Al asked, nibbling on a piece of bacon. Edward successfully managed to choke on his coffee and just managed to swallow it before he burst into a fit of coughs. "You're lucky I love you otherwise you would probably be dead." Edward gasped, pulling himself up and grabbing himself a napkin to wipe his mouth with before sitting down once again. "That's why I'm happy to be your brother, because I can tease you endlessly and you won't try to blow me up like you do to anyone else." Alphonse stated, shoving the rest of his bacon piece into his mouth and chewing happily. He was happy to say that his brother was a great cook. "That was one time." Edward chuckled, his cheeks becoming heated as he reached over and stole a piece of bacon off Al's plate, sticking his tongue out as he stuck it in his mouth. "Hey! Didn't you make yourself something?" Al exclaimed, pulling his plate to the side and growling. "No, you know very well that I don't eat breakfast." Edward chuckled, continuing to munch on Al's former bacon strip. "But you should, food is good, especially in the mornings." Al protested, taking a sip of his coffee. "Food in the morning just doesn't sit well with me, come on, you've been with me since you were born, what else do you have to know about me." Edward chuckled, bringing his cup of coffee to his lips once again. "I don't really know less than I should about you, brother mine." Alphonse chuckled, finishing off his plate of food and stepping around Edward to place the plate in the sink before returning to his seat.

"Tell me now?" Edward begged, giving Alphonse his try-hard puppy dog eyes. "Well, it's for two main reasons." Alphonse started, stopping for a minute to tie his hair back. "One, because you finally came out to somebody about your feelings, you told Roy the reason you hated thunder, and you let your guard down for the first time in many years. Two, because you kissed Roy last night." Alphonse smirked, smiling as his brothers eyes widened. "You know about that how?" Edward asked as he stared at Al, cocking his head to the side. "You're happy, but you still smell of virgin." Alphonse stated, ducking right before Ed's hand could fall on top of his head. "You're a asshole." Edward muttered, chuckling as his brother cowered for safety in the corner. "You love me." Alphonse chirped, smiling before skipping off to the living-room. "That I do." Edward murmured pulling himself off the chair to follow his brother. "Roy. Roy. Roy. Roy. Roy." was the only thing that Edward heard as he stepped into the living-room. "If you get burned, it's not my fault." Edward stated, struggling to hold back laughter. "Roy. Roy. Roooooy." Alphonse continued, graduating onto poking Roy's shoulder. "He's going to kill you." Edward chuckled, turning on his heel and walking back into the kitchen to pour the soon-to-awaken Roy a cup of coffee. "Alphonse, quit it." the groggy voice of Roy groaned, swatting the younger boys hand away. "I didn't hear a please." Al teased, continuing to poke Roy's shoulder. "Please, o' young one." Roy groaned, pulling himself into a sitting position and hiding his face in his hands. "Better." Al agreed, finally ceasing his attacks. "Good morning sunshine." Edward chirped as he walked into the living-room, handing Roy the cup of coffee with a light smile on his face. "I tried to get him to stop." Edward chuckled, plopping himself onto the couch beside Roy. "No you didn't."

"You guys should get off your asses and get ready for work." Alphonse chuckled, walking in on the cuddling pair. "Don't be such a party pooper Al." Edward stated, poking his tongue out lightly. "Well, you guys both have work." Al pointed out, stealing their now empty coffee cups and heading back out of the room. "We should get up I guess." Roy groaned, untying his arms from around Ed's waist. "Of coarse, you're going to join forces with my brother." Edward joked, standing up and offering a helping hand down at Roy. "Well, unlike you, I actually have stacks of paperwork that are needed to be done, you just have a few things to sign and send on their way." Roy chuckled, taking Ed's hand and pulling himself up. "True." Edward sighed, not breaking the contact between their hands. "It's a good thing you're wearing your uniform, otherwise you would have been screwed for work." Edward chuckled, lacing his fingers with Roy's. "Yes, you have a point." Roy chuckled, smiling lightly. "I'm still really damn tired." Ed yawned, leaning lightly against Roy. "Do you want me to carry you to work." Roy asked, hip bumping the shorter man. "You're going to regret saying that." Alphonse chuckled, walking into the room and standing in front of the couple, wearing a white dress shirt, a vest and skin tight trousers. "And they call us the homosexuals." Edward chuckled, unlocking and opening the door, jumping out so he didn't get pelted by Al's ring of fury.

Edward was now chuckling lightly as Roy protested against the weight of Ed being on his shoulders, but after a few moments, he gave up his pointless whining and just continued with carrying Ed. "I told you that you would regret even saying that." Al pointed out, laughing as Roy struggled to keep the squirming blonde in one place. "I thoroughly regret this." Roy whined as Edward buried his hands in Roy's hair, tugging lightly. "I know you love me." Edward chuckled, resting his hands on top of his hands. "That I do, but please. Try to calm down slightly." Roy begged, grabbing a hold of the blonde's ankles so he didn't slip off. "Of course, your highness." Ed chuckled, relaxing himself. "Thank-you." Roy sighed, finally letting his shoulders relax. "So, have you guys decided if you're going to tell anybody about your relationship?" Al asked, smiling lightly as the two laughed happily. "Well, I don't mind telling the people in the office, but we'll just have to figure out how to do that." Roy stated, thinking about it for a moment. "Well, we could always pretend to have sex and have Al walk out horrified." Edward questioned, smirking softly. "Brother. No." Alphonse stated, almost gagging at his suggestion. "Yeah, I don't think that would be a great experience for Al, Ed. Otherwise that would be a good idea." Roy chuckled, causing Edward to smile. "Damn it, it would have been awesome to see Alphonse's face!" Ed exclaimed, smacking his knee. "You know that the two of you are in for payback when both of you come to visit at the same time." Alphonse muttered, skipping ahead so he didn't have to deal with their nonsense.

"Do you want to come to Risembool with us when Al is required to go home?" Edward asked, laying down on Roy's couch, resting his head on Al's lap. "I would really like to, it would give me a break from work, but I'll have to ask Hawkeye of she can clear my schedule for a couple days to a week." Roy smiled, twisting his fingers around his black ballpoint pen. "I'd miss you if you didn't come." Ed mumbled, playing with the buttons on Al's jacket. "You have been together for what? Less than twenty four hours? And you're already acting worse than Winry and I!" Al groaned, throwing his hands behind his head. "We're just making up for lost time Alphonse-dearest." Roy cooed in a baby voice, dragging his pen across the paper in his usual un-neat scrawl. "Of coarse you are." Alphonse sighed, groaning when his brother poked him in the stomach with his finger. "Let's not be foul now." Ed cooed, poking him once again in the stomach. "Of coarse not, your highness." Al growled, swatting Ed's hand away.


	14. Burnished

"Hawkeye approved." Roy chuckled, walking across his office, shutting the door behind him. "She said that I could use a little time away from the office. She'll probably cover my paperwork too." Roy smiled, plopping himself down on his black swivel chair. "Knowing Reese, she probably would put all your stuff to the side and keep a gun to your head until you did it." Alphonse chuckled, brushing a hand through the near asleep Edward's hair. "Does that boy ever sleep?" Roy asked, crossing his legs with a smile on his face. "Well sometimes, he does have a lot of trouble though, because he's afraid of the nightmares returning." Alphonse frowned, gazing down at his brother. "Do you have nightmares too?" He asked, gazing kindly at Al. "Of coarse I do, and I don't think they will stop coming, It's just a part of myself that I have yet to get used to." Al sighed, running a hand through his bangs. "Well, things like that you just don't get used to. I still have nightmares about Ishval, and I honestly don't think I'm ever going to get over how much pain I caused during those days. I wish, honestly. That I could just take all of that away and been one of those people like Edward who refuse to kill unless it is absolutely necessary Or I wished I had never learned flame alchemy, or joined the army." Roy sighed, resting his head on his fist. "But, if you had never joined the army, you wouldn't have met Edward, and from my understanding, you really like Edward." Al shrugged, chuckling lightly. "Just liking him is a understatement." Roy chuckled, smiling lightly. A light rap at the door startled both of them and with Al's jump that he did, he was surprised that Edward didn't wake up, or even stir for that matter. "Enter." Roy stated, trying not to be too loud. "I'm sorry for interrupting sir. I was just wondering if I should head down to the mess and grab something for all three of you." Riza asked, leaning against the door-frame "That would be lovely lieutenant, thank-you." Roy chirped back, a smile crossing his lips. "Just be sure to wake Edward up when I get back, I might steal him off of you guys." Riza winked, disappearing out the door and closing it behind her. "Alright then." Roy sighed, returning to his signing of papers.

It didn't take much longer for Riza to return with three take out boxes from the mess hall. "Can you wake Ed up for me?" Riza asked, shuffling foot to foot in the doorway. "Of coarse." Al smirked wickedly wrapping his arms around his brother, swiftly pushing him off the couch. "Oops." Alphonse shrugged, kicking his feet on top of the coffee table so he didn't hit the groaning blond. "Ouch, my head." Edward groaned, raising himself from the floor with a muffled groan. "It seems that you have rolled off the couch." Alphonse shrugged once more, ruffling the hair on top of his head. "No I didn't, I don't move in my sleep, I know very well that you pushed me off." Edward chuckled, raising his middle finger towards Al. "I was going to stop him, but I wasn't quick enough." Roy laughed where he watched in amusement. "Sure you were." Edward chuckled, raising himself into a standing position. "Edward, want to come for a walk with me for a minute?" Riza asked, standing with a light smile on her face. "As long as there is still food when I return, I'll gladly come with you." Ed smiled, skipping of to her side. "I'll make sure Al doesn't eat your food." Roy called, smiling lightly. "We'll see about that." Al retaliated, giving a malicious smirk to Roy. "I'd be careful, he's lethal when it comes to food." Ed chuckled, following Riza out the door. "So, what do you want to walk around for?" Ed asked, falling in pace with Riza. "I just have something important to tell you." Riza chuckled, continuing to walk. "Tell me?" Edward pleaded, grabbing a hold onto her arm. "Does it have something to do with Jean?" Ed asked, chuckling when he saw Jean give a suspicious look. "Shut up, wait until we aren't near people." Riza hissed, opening the door and dragging Edward with her. "Oh so it does, doesn't it?" Ed taunted, catching the light pink flush on her face. "I'll shoot you." "No you won't." "Yes, I will." Riza hissed, embarrassment lacing her voice. Edward ceased his taunting until they had reached the same garden that he had been a few days before. "You gonna tell me yet?" Ed asked, winking at her. "Of coarse I am, you little shit." she chuckled, pulling him down onto the stone bench beside her. "Ouch my ass, and don't call me little!" Ed exclaimed. "Yes, your highness." Riza praised, bowing her head. "Thank you." Edward chuckled, smiling at Riza. "Tell me!" Ed exclaimed, reaching forward and ruffling her hair. "Well, me and Jean went on a date." Riza said shyly, beginning to swing her legs. Riza's sudden change in behavior scared Ed slightly, and he poked her shoulder basically asking 'and'. "And he kissed me." she trailed off, a slight blush growing on her cheeks. "YAY!" Edward shouted, nearly knocking Riza over as he reached over to hug her. "Calm down their tiger." Riza chuckled, hugging him back.

The door swinging open managed to successfully shock both Roy and Al, but Al a little more, because he choked on his food. "She's done it!" Ed shouted, running back out of the office and over to Havoc. "Ed, you okay?" Al asked warily, his eyes watching as Ed tackled Jean to the ground. "Okay, who gave the shorty sugar." Roy asked, raising himself from his desk, walking over to the door to observe. Riza stood by the door, looking half embarrassed half about to kill someone or something. "Calm down boss, what's got you so happy?" Jean groaned, pushing the blonde off of him. "Shut up, you saw me being dragged out by Riza. What do you thing I'm happy about you idiot!" Ed shrieked jokingly, smacking worse than him. "Uhm, Roy I think Ed's got more homosexual in him than you." Al chuckled, raising himself from his seat to stand behind Roy, surveying over his shoulder. "Ed, are you sure you're okay? You aren't sick or anything are you?" Havoc asked, raising a hand to Ed's forehead that he quickly slapped away. "I'm perfectly healthy thanks." Ed chuckled, standing up to offer a helping hand to Havoc. "Well, at least you have the courtesy to help me up." Jean chuckled, grabbing a hold on Ed's hand and raising himself halfway before Ed let go. "Sorry, but I see no courtesy in myself." Edward chuckled, smiling as Jean groaned in defeat. "You're a tough little one aren't you." Riza chuckled, smiling as he nodded. "Raised by the best." he chuckled, dodging past Roy and Ed to fling himself onto Roy's couch. "Riza, can I tell them?" Ed called out the door where Roy and Al were still standing, watching as a chuckling Riza helped Havoc up. "Just to torture you. I'm gonna pass." Riza chuckled, laughing louder when she heard Ed's groan. "Sorry Ed, but I'll tell them on my own time." She chuckled, disappearing to her desk.

"What was that all about?" Alphonse asked, pushing his brother's legs off the couch to make room for himself. "I can't really tell you, even though I'll probably end up telling you by the end of tonight." Ed sighed, picking his feet up and plopping them on Al's lap, causing him to groan. "Stop whining." Edward chuckled, kicking his brother lightly with his heel. "Well stop being abusive." Alphonse complained, flicking Ed's foot. "I'm guessing that the whole ordeal that happened in the hallway was because of Jean and Riza's relationship?" Roy questioned, taking a seat on top of the coffee table, leaving his paperwork forgotten. "You are correct, but I cannot speak further on the topic." Edward announced, a sophisticated tone in his voice. "Of coarse you can't, you love Riza too much to spread her personal information around without her permission." Roy stated, crossing his legs as he sat on the coffee table, his eyes gazing down at the stretched out blonde. "Even though I may love Riza, I love you more." Edward beamed, catching Roy's gaze. "As I love you." Roy chuckled, leaning down to press Ed's lips to his. "I take this as my Que to get the hell out of here." Alphonse exclaimed, kicking Ed's feet off his legs and jogging into the other room, planning on hiding under Riza's desk or hiding somewhere for that matter. Riza stared oddly at Al as he dropped to his knees by her chair, finally dropping on all fours and crawling underneath her desk. "I'm going to make an assumption that both of the Elric boys are slightly insane today." Riza announced, getting a few snickers from Feury and Breda. "No shit, I already got jumped by Edward." Jean chuckled, doodling on his hand with pen. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that Jean." Riza chuckled nervously, pushing a wisp of hair behind her ear. "Oh for gods sake is there anywhere I can go that there isn't 'lovey dovey' stuff happening." Alphonse groaned, pulling himself into the fetal position underneath Riza's desk. "What do you mean? Lovey dovey stuff everywhere I doubt that anybody in the room you were just in is 'lovey dovey' in any way. "Think again." Alphonse shuddered, shaking his head. "Wait you mean?" "Yes."

When Alphonse had done such as utter a tiny word such as 'yes', she has sprung out of her desk and jogged silently over the door-handle making sure nobody was there before she moved to the side, looking through the keyhole. "What are you doing Riza?" Jean whispered, noticing that she was trying to be quiet. Riza lifted a beckoning finger and waggled it, motioning for him to come and look. "Look at this." she stated as she moved to the side, giving Jean room to kneel down beside her. "Well I'll be damned." Jean whispered, looking through at the lovely sight that was Roy and Edward making out on the couch. "Yeah, I didn't expect this to happen so soon, I mean, I knew Edward liked him. You could just see it in his eyes, but I never really expected Roy to-" "Scatter." Jean cut off, motioning that they were moving. Riza just managed to make it back in her seat before Edward stumbled out the door, a stupid smile on his face. "Anybody seen Alphonse anywhere?" he asked, rubbing his head lightly. "Yeah, he went out to the garden." "Thanks Riza!" Edward exclaimed, skipping out into the hallway. "Thank you." Alphonse chuckled, crawling out from under her desk and sending a warm smile before he walked back into Roy's office, closing the door behind him.

"Alphonse, there you are. Riza just informed me that Winry called, so you might want to head home with me." Edward chuckled, throwing his red cloak on. "She did?" Al asked, jumping off the couch with a happy smile. "Yes, your future wife called, now come with me." Ed chuckled, watching as Alphonse darted out the door. "I promise I'll be back tomorrow." Edward whispered, closing the door and slinking his way over to Roy's desk. "I know you will." Roy sighed, scooting his chair closer so he could wrap his arms around Ed's waist. "But I have to go, knowing Winry she must want to talk to us both." Ed chuckled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Roy's lips. "I love you, and I'll be back." Ed smiled, struggling to get out of Roy grasped before walking out. "I love you too." Roy sighed, not managing to get words out before Edward had disappeared.

A/N; I am honestly extremely sorry for the low quality of this chapter. Honestly, I don't think I've had a day worse than this one in my entire life. My mom is sending me to counselling because she found my secret Instagram account, which had stuff revolving around my self-harm and eating disorder, so go me go. I hope you guys are starting to like the absolutely random chapter names now though, and the randomness of both Edward and Alphonse c':


	15. Glassy

"How do you think Winry's going to react when she finds out about me and Roy?" Ed asked, pulling on his cloak and plopping himself down on the couch beside Al, sipping lightly on his tea. "Well, we'll just have to find out later won't we?" Al chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "I can't see how she'd be too happy about it, but most girls are all gossipy so that means she'll be asking for 'details'." Al grimaced, making air quotes. "Will I honestly have to explain details about that to her? That's going to be horrible." Ed groaned, placing his tea on the coffee table and burying his face in a pillow. "I'm not sure that Roy would be too opposed to telling her, he might just want to embarrass you." Al laughed, smiling as Ed groaned and hid his face deeper into the pillow. "I'm not so sure I want him to come anymore." Ed sighed, pulling away from the pillow only to hug it to his chest. "I'm starting to think that it's going to be a horrible trip." Ed sighed, rubbing his face lightly. "Well, we're leaving today, so prepare yourself." Al chuckled, patting Edward's knee before he headed off to his bedroom to pack up his stuff. Edward was more than excited that they were going back to Risembool for a week, more so the fact that he would get to introduce Roy to Winry and Pinako. They probably already knew who Roy was, but I would get to introduce him as more of a friend. He couldn't wait to take Roy through the town and show him some of their favorite places as kids. Even though he was nervous, he was sure that Roy would have even the slightest bit of fun. Ed sighed, dropping his pillow on to the couch beside him before he raised himself up, skipping to his own bedroom. "When's Roy gonna get here?" Al asked, appearing at Ed's door, knocking lightly. Ed paused from stuffing his suitcase, pondering for a moment after looking at the clock. "He should be here in one hour, at the least." Ed chuckled, resuming shoving things into his suitcase. "You sure he's fine with driving us to the train station?" Al asked, leaning against the doorway. "Of course, he would have had to anyways because he's a lazy ass and wouldn't have wanted to walk." Ed chuckled, pulling his hair behind his back. "There is a great deal of truth in that, need help?"

Edward had really needed the help of Alphonse to pack, even though he had to deal with numerous lectures about how he was supposed to pack in advance but he brushed each and every single one off. "You have everything packed?" Al asked, smiling down at Ed. "Yes, I believe so." Ed chuckled, smiling back, dragging his suitcase to the front door. "Wait no!" Edward yelled, dashing down the hallway, dodging Alphonse before running back to his bedroom, coming back out with a red box. Al chuckled in realization and offered a hand out for the box, when recieving it he pulled the necklace from the box and clasped it around Ed's neck before handing it back, a smirk on his face. "You really love that necklace don't you?" Al chuckled, resting himself on the coffee table as he waited for Roy's knock to sound at the door. "Of coarse I do, anything from you I love." Ed smiled, sliding down the wall until he was sitting down with his knees pulled up to his chest. "And anything from you I love, even if it's food." Al smiled, pulling himself up and heading to the kitchen. "Oh yes, you want to grab a few things to carry along with us? Train food isn't the greatest." Ed chuckled, wrapping his arms around his knees. "Of coarse Ed, you want anything in particular?" Al asked, poking his head around the corner, one eyebrow furrowed. "Yes, chocolate, lots of chocolate." Ed smiled, licking his lips with a smile. "Typical." Al sighed, disappearing behind the doorway again, to begin rummaging through Ed's cupboards, returning with arms filled with granola bars and chocolate bars. "Thanks little brother." Edward chuckled, taking the food from Al's arms and shoving it into the front pocket of his suitcase. "At least we aren't going to go hungry." Ed shrugged, zipping up his suitcase.

Alphonse and Edward waited outside the door for maybe fifteen minutes before a knock sounded at the door, startling both of them from their deep conversation. Edward smirked, jumping up from his spot on the floor and swinging the unlocked door open, smiling as he saw Roy come into view. "You both ready to go?" Roy asked, smiling warmly at his lover. "Yes." Ed chirped, swinging the door open fully and smiling at Roy, reaching back to grab his suitcase in his hand, Alphonse following soon after. "Good-morning Roy." Al smiled, shifting his suitcase to his other hand. "Good-morning Al." Roy smiled, stealing the suitcase from Ed's grip and beginning his way down to his car. "Hey! I could have carried that!" Ed yelled, chasing Roy with his arms reaching out to catch him. Al stood there, shaking his head with a smile. He found it so amazing that somebody as mature as Roy could have fallen in love with a immature person such as Edward, and made it seem perfectly normal. Al laughed lightly to himself, jogging slightly to catch up with Ed and Roy. When Alphonse reached the car, he was giving Roy a lecture about him taking Ed's stuff as Roy smirked and shoved Ed's suitcase into the back of the car, reaching out to grab Al's too. Alphonse handed his suitcase over with a smile and watched as Roy shoved it into the trunk before heading off to the drivers side. "Shotgun!" Edward called, pushing past Al with a cheerful smile on his face, causing Al to growl but head for the back seat anyway.

The drive to the train station was silent, but once again one of those comfortable silences that must have been the most common occurrence between the three of them. None of them made any notion to break the silence. Ed and Al were both looking out the windows, thinking of different things such as how happy Winry was going to be to see them both again, or what they were going to do to entertain Roy while they were in Risembool. Edward was stressing out the slightest bit about their trip, but only because he was worried about what Pinako and Winry would think, because he was sure that at least one of them wouldn't be too pleased, that one probably being Pinako. Ed sighed and rested his head against the window as they approached the window, he fluttered his eyes closed and opened them once again as they parked in a empty parking space. Al was the first one out the door, and he was standing by the trunk, waiting for Roy to pop open the trunk. When Roy finally did, Al swung the trunk open and carefully pulled his suitcase out of the back, making sure he didn't smack it against the car. "Ed are you okay?" Roy asked, not getting a response out of Ed, but a nod. Roy shook his head, obviously worried for Ed, but sighed and pulled himself out of the car, shutting and locking the door behind him. Roy was determined to get whatever was bothering his lover out of him, but he decided not to press it on until Al had fallen asleep on the train. Roy smiled, grabbing both his and Ed's suitcases out of the back, ignoring the protests that Ed was throwing his way.


	16. Glazed

Edward kept his hands tightly wound around the handle of his suitcase after Roy had given it back, they were now sitting in the military cars of the train, the train bumping audibly every so often, causing Ed to flinch each and every time, and with every flinch, Roy found himself inching closer. Roy couldn't read what was disturbing Edward, because he was not allowing his emotions could be read at this point in time, but Roy could sense that something was up with the way he was still holding onto his suitcase, his knuckles white and his automail leaving dents along the handle. "Edward?" Roy asked, laying a hand on the back of the smaller boy. "What- oh yeah?" Edward asked, his eyes flicking towards eyes anxiously. "Are you alright?" Roy asked, flicking a look of worry at Ed. "Yeah, I'm okay I guess." Edward sighed, dropping his eyes down to the suitcase that he was clutching, dropping it when he realized what he was doing. The suitcase toppled to the floor with a crash, causing Edward to flinch again, but before Edward could reach down to place it in the luggage carriers, Roy had already beat him to it. Ed let out an appreciative sigh and leaned his head against the cold cushion of the back of the seat. "Brother? What's bothering you so much?" Al asked from the seats opposite of him and Roy. "I'm just nervous." Ed sighed, leaning his head on Roy's shoulder after he had settled himself down into the cushions. "What for?" Al asked, brushing his long hair out of the way. "What if they don't accept me." Ed whispered, catching both him and Roy off guard. "What do you mean by that?" Roy asked, setting his chin on top of Ed's head. "What if they don't accept the fact that I'm gay?" Ed hummed, fiddling with his automail as he kept his vision dead set on the ground. "I think that the both of them would be worried if you weren't." Alphonse chuckled, pulling a chocolate bar from his pocket and ripping the package open. "What do you mean by that? I don't act gay do I?" Ed asked, lifting his head off of Roy's shoulder to look around incredulously. "Edward, remember the skills exam? You turned a paper blimp into pink rose petals, dare tell me that you didn't act homosexual back then too." Al smiled, earning a chuckle from Roy. "I had quite forgotten about that." Ed chuckled, a red tint crossing his otherwise pale cheeks. "Besides, Winry and Granny both love you, and they always will. If you being gay causes a problem for them, then you have my permission to kick their asses."

"You'd actually let me hit your girlfriend?" Ed asked, sitting forward in excitement, causing Roy to chuckle softly. "Well, not severely, but she has hit you some so." Al chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. "That doesn't mean I wouldn't at least try to defend her before you did because I mean, I'm not that willing to let you hit her. I'm just going to shut up now." Al sighed, sticking a piece of dark chocolate in his mouth and slipping down in his seat. "Don't worry, I wouldn't have actually hit her anyway, she's too fragile." Ed smirked, leaning against Roy once again. "If she heard you say that she probably would have beat your ass." Roy chuckled, ruffling Ed's hair. "She probably would have too, I'm not denying it. Winry is quite tough, but she does have a very fragile side to her." Ed pointed out smiling as Roy watched him with dark blue eyes. "Well, everybody has their fragile side, I'll have you know." Roy smiled, wrapping his arm around Ed's torso. "Even you?" Ed asked, disbelieving. "Yes even me, but that's one side of me that very few get to see, Hughes and Gracia were just two of the people who had to see me in a fragile state, but I'm sure you and Al will soon enough." Roy shrugged, burying his face in Ed's hair. "Of coarse, you've already seen mine." Ed scoffed, smiling at his brother. "Nobody except brother has seen mine." Al said proudly, holding his chocolate in the air like a trophy. "You're such a child." Ed muttered, attempting to cover it up with a cough. "Aha, no." Al chuckled, flinging a broken off piece of chocolate it Ed's direction. "Oh thanks!"

"I could do for a long shower and a nap right about now." Roy sighed, stretching out his back with a muffled groan. "Same goes here." Ed chuckled, repeating the action. "I feel great." Al smirked, watching as the older men groaned and complained. "Lucky you." Ed chirped sarcastically, grabbing his suitcase before Roy could snag it and running out of the train and onto the platform, beckoning Roy and Al to follow. Roy followed behind Ed, whining that he hadn't been quick enough to snatch the bag from Ed and Al just shook his head, grabbing his own suitcase before following after them with a laugh. "I can't wait to get my automail repaired!" Ed exclaimed, giving off a slightly girly squeal as he hopped about, clearly trying to show his excitement for the whole world. "Did Ed even have any chocolate?" Roy mumbled low enough so only Alphonse could hear. "Not that I know of he hasn't." Al shrugged, brushing a hand through his hair, clear happiness in being back home lacing his facial features. Roy let out a groan of sudden weight being pressed onto his back when Ed had taken a running start, jumping onto Roy's back with ease, dropping his suitcase in the process. "It looks like Moofang get's to carry my suitcase after all." Ed chirped as Roy reached down to pick up Ed's abandoned suitcase. "Moofang?" Roy snorted, chuckling lightly as he continued to walk, Ed's hands crossed over his neck. "Winry called you that once when she was highly intoxicated, and I've always wanted to put her given nickname to use." Ed shrugged, almost losing his balance for a moment. "Well, that's quite the creative nickname, please don't call me that." Roy snorted once again at the stupidity of the name. "Sure whatever." Ed shrugged. "Moofang."

It took the three of them around one hour to finally reach their destination. People from around the town were attempting to steal Edward away for a little bit to speak about his recent adventures and the reason why Ed hadn't come home sooner but Al tried his hardest to tell everybody that Edward would come back later and that they had important business to take care of, but not one of them listened. After thirty minutes of fending off nosey people Roy dragged Ed off, without any of the townsfolk noticing. Roy got a kiss from Ed as a thanks only to be jumped on once more by the energy ridden blonde. "I'm still nervous." Edward sighed, playing with the hair at the back of Roy's head. "Don't be, brother." Alphonse stated, trying to convince his brother through facial expression that everything was going to be alright. "What do you think mom would think, about Roy and I, Al?" Ed asked, tangling his fingers in Roy's hair, a small smile on his face. "Personally, I think she'd be proud of you. She always told both of us that she wanted us to have somebody that treated us right, and somebody to love us unconditionally, and I think you've found the one." Al settled, smiling as both Roy and Ed's face lit up with a pink tinge. "I think she'd be proud of you too Al." Ed mumbled, placing his chin on top of Roy's head as they finally made it down the last few metres to their destination.

The second Alphonse had called Winry's name out, it only took two minutes for the estatic sixteen year old girl to bust through the front door, not even bothering to shut it behind her as she dashed out the door and into Al's arms. "I missed you." Winry whispered into Al's shoulder, a beaming smile on her face. "I missed you too, but I think you missed somebody else more." Al chuckled, pointing over his shoulder at Edward who was standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. "Funny how you need to have him point out I'm here for you to actually realize I am." Ed chuckled as she pulled away from Alphonse, making her way over to Ed. "Shut up and hug me." Winry chuckled, running into Ed's arms and wrapping her own arms around his torso tightly. "Gladly." Ed chuckled, hugging his best friend tightly to his chest. "You know, breathing is a great thing, and I can't seem to do it with you collapsing my chest." Winry hissed, struggling to get out of Ed's arms. "Whoops, sorry." Ed chuckled, casting an apologetic smile his way. "I feel your pain Winry." Roy sympathized, wincing as Edward's arm collided to his side. "Ed, don't be an ass." Winry stated, smacking his shoulder. "Yes queen Winry." Ed mumbled, lowering his head. "Why don't you guys come inside?"


	17. Lustrous

"I feel really out of place here." Roy whispered, low enough so Winry didn't hear him. "Don't worry, these guys are easy to warm up to." Edward beamed skipping down the hallway and jumping into a room that Roy could only assume was his own. "Aha, I'm happy that Ed's excited to be home." Alphonse chuckled, ditching Roy to run after Winry. Roy sighed, picking his suitcase back in his hand, before following Edward into his room. "It's so great to be back." Edward sighed, sprawling across the bed as Roy walked in. Roy set his suitcase beside Edward and joined the younger man on the bed. "I already like it here." Roy smiled, reaching over and intertwining his fingers with Ed's. "I've always liked it here." Ed sighed, rolling over so he could lean his head against Roy's shoulder. "You'll have to show me around later." Roy yawned, pressing his free hand over his mouth. "I will don't worry." Ed smiled, leaning over to press a kiss to Roy's lips before he returned to his previous position. "How am I supposed to tell them?" Edward asked, pressing his face into Roy's neck. "I'm not sure, it may be hard for them to accept at first, but they'll come around." Roy stated, pressing his lips to Edward's temple. "Ah, you're the best." Edward sighed, squeezing Roy's hand softly. "I know I am." Roy smirked, dodging as Edward attempted to swat at his head.

Roy and Edward had lay together for what would seem like forever, but was only a few minutes. They were interrupted when a knock sounded at the door. Reluctantly they separated from each other and moved to opposite sides of the bed. "Come in!" Edward called, stretching out his legs on the bed in front of him. "Don't worry, it's just me." Alphonse whispered, pulling himself into the room. "Good." Edward smiled, chuckling as his brother hastily shut the door behind him. "What's got you moving so quickly?" Roy asked as Alphonse leaned against the door, blocking it from being opened. "Winry is pretty avid on cutting my hair right now and I really don't want to cut my hair so I had to hide somewhere. "Oh god, is she going to try to make me cut my hair too?" Ed groaned, pressing his head in his auto-mail hand. "Probably, it is halfway down your back." Alphonse shrugged, smiling and sliding down the door until he rested against the floor. "Shit." Edward groaned, pulling his hair from the tie. "But it's reached his peak of beauty!" Edward exclaimed, running his hands through his hair. "As I said; nobody would suspect you're gay." Alphonse chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Shut up."

"You probably show Roy around soon, the sun's gonna set soon." Alphonse yawned, finally lifting himself off the floor to stretch his back. "It's already that late?" Roy asked, quite shocked. "Yeah, we've been in here for a while." Alphonse yawned once more. "I'm going to go face that hair-cutting wrath of Winry now, see you." Al chuckled, waving and disappearing out the door. "Well, I guess we should head out right about now?" Edward asked, sliding to the edge of the bed and standing up. "Of coarse." Roy smiled, copying Edward's actions. "So what are you going to show me first?" Roy asked, following Edward as he walked out of the room. "You'll see soon enough." Edward shrugged, reaching the door and pulling on his boots, sloppily tying the laces. "Where are you guys going?" the voice of Winry asked, causing Edward to metaphorically; jump ten feet in the air. "Holy shit, Winry do you have any weight to you or not?" Edward gasped, darting his head back to catch sight of where she was behind Roy. "Sorry Ed! I didn't mean to sneak up on you guys like that." Winry chuckled, laughing as Edward caught his breath. "You would think that because you're the Full-metal Alchemist that you wouldn't be scared by things like that." Roy chuckled. "Ed's just going to show me around some." Roy shrugged, slipping on his already tied shoes. "Yes I am." Edward chuckled, holding the front door for Roy to pass through. "Don't worry, we'll be back soon." Edward smiled to Winry, before slipping out the door behind Roy.

"Edward, just grab my hand if you want to so much." Roy smirked, after the fifth time that Edward's hand had 'accidentally' collided with his. "I-I don't know what you're talking about." Edward stuttered, a red tint appearing on his cheeks under the pale sunlight. "Don't be shy, come on." Roy chuckled, holding his hand out for Edward to take. Edward took his hand with a huff, intertwining their fingers. "How did you know?" Edward asked, curiously gazing at Roy. "About you wanting to hold my hand?" Roy asked, his eyes flickering to Edward's face before they rested back on the gravel road in front of them. "Yeah." Ed smiled, tightening his hold on Ed's hand. "Well, as you probably know, I've dated a ton of people. All of them regretfully, but whenever they attempted to hold my hand, they would 'accidentally' tap their hand into mine until either I or they caved and reached for the others hand." Roy shrugged, smiling as he continued his walk. "Wow, I thought I was the only one." Edward chuckled, slowing down his hasty pace slightly. "Well, you're not the first, but you're the best." Roy smiled, sending a wink in Ed's direction causing him to roll his eyes. "You're a bastard." Edward groaned, rolling his eyes once again. "I'm your bastard."


	18. Polished

A/N;  
Before we begin, I want to just tell you that I have switched the format for this chapter, with shorter paragraphs. So it's really short just because I want to test it out, and get your opinion on it. Don't be afraid to comment/leave a review c:

Edward sighed, finally dropping the connection between his and Roy's intertwined fingers. "What's wrong?" Roy asked, glancing at Ed with worry in his eyes. "I'm showing you around, and I felt like this was the most acceptable place to show you first." Edward sighed, beginning to walk through the tall green grass. "What is this? All I see is flat- oh." Roy whispered, stopping himself. "Yeah." Edward murmered, looking back with a gaze that was filled with sadness. "Edward you really didn't need to show me this-" "I need to, either it be with you or without. I'm not sure what I need reassurance for, but I believe being here can help." Edward shrugged, tugging his eyes off of Roy's and began walking back through the grass.

Roy reluctantly followed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Roy heard a sigh from up ahead and when he followed after, he found Edward on his knees, his head down and his bangs falling over his face. He decided other than to say something, but instead he knelt down, wrapping his arm around the blonde's shoulder and pulling him into his side. "You know, you and your crew saved me." Edward started, beginning to pick small pieces of grass in his hands. "Along with Alphonse, you guys were the only things that I lived for, the only things that I needed to continue to strive to bring Alphonse back. Even though we had our everyday arguements, or insult challenges." Edward chuckled, using air quotes.

"You were always looking after us. And I can't even begin to thank you for how much that means to me. "And I'll continue to look after you." Roy whispered, lifting Ed's chin up so golden eyes met dark blue. "I'll look after the both of you. Until the day I die." Roy continued, moving his hand from Ed's chin and into his hair, pulling him in lightly for a kiss. "I feel like my masculinity is fading." Edward mumbled to himself, keeping his and Roy's hands connected as he knelt down to pick a white daisy from the grass. "That's because it is." Roy chuckled, flinching as Edward smacked his arm. "Shut up and look pretty." Edward chuckled, rising from the ground before placing the flower behind Roy's ear, smirking as Roy blushed.

"You're cute when you blush, you should do it more." Edward smirked, rejoining his hand with Roy's. "I don't like blushing, it makes me feel awkward." Roy shivered, causing Ed to laugh. "Trust me, I don't like it that much, but after a while, you get used to it." Ed chuckled, winking at Roy. "Oh." Roy shrugged, moving his hand from Ed's and snaking his arm around Ed's waist, Ed returning the favor. "You're almost as tall as me." Roy smirked, fighting laughter when Edward glared at him from the corner of his eyes. "I'm going to say thank you, because I'm not sure if that was a joke or not." Ed shrugged, resting his head on Roy's shoulder as they walked. "It was a joke, it's only been a couple hours of us being here, I don't want to die yet." Roy smirked. "Good choice."

"Ugh, I'm still stressing out about how to tell Winry and Pinako." Edward shivered as they made their way back up to the Rockbell house, their hands not dropping connection. "Well, I don't think we'll need to tell her anymore." Roy muttered, trying to fight back his laughter. Edward looked up startled, finding Winry sitting on the steps, her legs crossed and her eyes wide, staring at the two men holding hands in front of her. "Thanks for telling me." Edward muttered, a blush crossing his face as he dropped hands with Roy. Winry continued to stare at straight ahead, her eyes flicking between the two of them. "Okay, I'll go talk to her, you go inside." Edward stated, sending a panicked smile at Roy before he walked over to Winry, clasping his flesh hand around his auto-mail wrist.

"Hi." Edward muttered awkwardly, pulling himself onto the steps beside Winry rubbing his hands against his pant legs frantically. Ed watched as Roy passed through the backyard to go in through the back door before he directed his eyes back to Winry. Winry continued to stare ahead, her mouth slightly gaping open. "Winry?" Edward whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. The second Ed's arm came into contact with her back, Winry jumped away, a snarl escaping her lips. "Edward what was that?" she hissed, standing up so she could glare better at him. "It's whatever you thought it was." Edward whispered, his eyes drifting to the ground. "How could you?" Winry asked, stepping closer, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"What do you mean?" Ed asked, trying to keep as calm as seemed possible. "He fucking killed my parents Edward, you're just going to bring him here and have me find out that you guys are together?" she hissed, clenching her fists at her side. "Winry, we could leave if you'd like." Ed whispered, a pain echoing through his chest. "Though I don't see why you couldn't have told me earlier that you didn't feel comfortable with him here." "Edward, I don't mind that you brought him here, but how could you let him into your life so easily? You both used to hate each-other!" Winry shouted, her voice cracking slightly. "Winry that's exactly it, we used to hate each-other, but have you ever heard that thoughts change over time? Because they do!" Edward hissed his voice raising.

"Roy watched over both Alphonse and I when we were searching for the Philosopher's stone, and by telling me that you aren't comfortable with us in a stable relationship, doesn't make me feel to great about my choices in friends." Edward finished with a growl. "That also makes me feel like you don't appreciate everything he's done for us. He gave us the information we needed to collect the Philosopher's stone and bring Alphonse back, are you saying you aren't thankful for that? Then you aren't thankful that he's what makes me happy?" "He shouldn't be the one that makes you happy Ed. You deserve way better." Winry hissed, walking around Ed and walking towards the front door.

"So now you're saying that I deserve better? Winry he's the best thing other than getting Al's body back that's happened to me and you're telling me I deserve better? Now I'm asking you the same question. How could you? Doubt my happiness with him and crush it, in hopes that I might leave him? Well nice try, because I don't think I'm planning on leaving anytime soon!" Edward shouted, his voice cracking as he turned around and dashed down the driveway.

"Winry what did you say to him?" Alphonse asked, dashing out into the hallway and glaring at his girlfriend. "I told him what he needed to be told." Winry frowned, attempting to walk past him, but getting pulled back by her arm. "Winry, that isn't good enough." Al threatened, a frown on his face. "I look out my window to find him running away, Edward never runs away from anything, so care to tell me what the hell is going on?" Alphonse asked, dropping his hand from her arm and dropping it to his hip. "Al he deserves better than Roy." Winry frowned, looking towards the ground. "You can't be serious. Did you tell him that?" Al asked, staring at her incredulously.

"Well I had to tell him the truth, so I did. Why is that a problem?" Winry asked, crossing her arms over his chest. "Winry, you do know that Edward has been having emotional breakdowns lately because he was so stressed out about how he was going to tell you? He even wanted to keep it a secret from you and you go ahead and tell him that?" Al asked, blinking slightly. "What you just said there, probably sent him into another breakdown, so I'm going to have to go find him." Al hissed, pulling his jacket off the hook. "And you're leaving me here with him?" Winry blinked, nudging towards the hallway. "No, he's coming with me, he needs to be there for Edward just as much as I need to right now." Al stated, turning on his heel and walking down the hallway.

Alphonse knocked hastily when he reached the door to Edward's room, and seconds later he got a "Come in!" from the other side of the door. "Alphonse, what's wrong?" Roy asked, noticing the tenseness in Al's shoulders. "Winry talked to Edward and he took off. I don't know where he's gone but I need to go find him." Alphonse stated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm also not planning on leaving you here with Winry right now, she's not in the greatest of moods." Alphonse chuckled sadly, staring at the ground. "Do you have any idea of where he could have gone?" Roy asked, springing off the bed and flinging his jacket around his shoulders, worry in his eyes. "Well, I do have some ideas, but I'm not 100 percent sure."

"He couldn't have gone far. Right?" Roy stressed, worrying his lip between his teeth. "Honestly, I have no clue." Alphonse frowned, turning his head every so often so he could search for that blonde head of hair. "What did Winry say to him that would have upset him enough for him to run?" Roy asked after he had finally unlatched his lip from beneath his teeth. "Winry told him that he deserved better than you, told him that he shouldn't have began to trust you as easily as he did." Al frowned, catching the glint of sadness in Roy's dark blue eyes. "But it's totally incorrect Roy, my brother does deserve you; you both deserve each-other. I will do whatever it is in my power to make her understand what you guys have." Al vowed, bowing slightly. "Thanks Al." Roy smiled.

Edward was leaning against a tree, down by the river to where he usually went when he was upset. He wasn't crying, nor was he completely emotionally stable. Edward didn't understand Winry's reasoning for blowing up on him like that. He had asked her multiple time if she'd forgiven Roy and each time he had received an 'yes'. So why did it finally matter when it came down to Ed's happiness. Roy had been the epitome of Ed's happiness and all she wanted to prove was that he deserved better, which he found completely and utterly irrelevant. He didn't understand why being with Roy bothered her so much, and he didn't understand why she had to be so cruel about it, he can handle a little cruelty, but not as much as she offered. Edward sighed, pulling his knees to his chest and placing his chin on them, letting the sound of the chilly wind and river lull him into calmness.

So far, Al and Roy had checked all liable sites that Edward could possibly be, all of them coming inconclusive. "Are there any more places that you have in mind." Roy asked, running a tired hand through his hair. "Well there is one place, but it used to be the place I'd go when I was upset, but who knows, he might just be there." Al shrugged, turning left and throwing off their original direction. "Is it by the river?" Roy asked, kicking down stalks of tall grass as he walked. "Yeah, I take it Ed showed you?" Al asked, flicking his head back to catch Roy's glance. "Yeah, he showed me. There are a lot of things about this town that amaze me." Roy smiled, continuing to kick down tall grass. "I've always loved Risembool, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for Dublith, I don't know. Just something about the area is special to me." Al shrugged, smiling as their topic reached a lighter note. "My heart will always belong in Central, and with Edward."


	19. Reflecting

Alphonse had not been able to let that smug little smile off his lips since the last words that Mustang had spoken. Al could probably consider himself now, the proudest brother in the world, because he had finally found somebody who had deeply, and truly loved him, and his happiness at that could not be explained through words. Al's smile faltered slowly as his eyes directed to the tree near the river, where he assumed his brother to be, his black coat disposed to the side with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs, chin resting neatly upon them. Alphonse didn't hesitate to begin running forward, only stopping when he had managed to trip over a singular tree root and fall onto his knees right in front of Edward.

Edward raised a cocked head at his brother, his eyebrow raising in confusion. "Did you have a wonderful trip?" Ed asked, allowing a sad to smile to overwhelm his lips. "I may be bleeding, but I'd say that it was great." Al smirked, pulling himself into a proper sitting position, with his legs crossed and his chin on top of his hands, elbows rested on his knees. "You know you guys didn't have to come after me right?" Ed groaned, sadly smiling when Roy pulled himself down to sit beside the blonde. "Well I did, because you're my brother and I began to worry when I caught sight of you running, and there was no way in hell I was going to leave Mustang with Winry right now, only god knows what she would have done to him." Al groaned, smiling warmly at his brother.

"And don't think I wasn't worried too, I was waiting for you to come back inside when Alphonse came to retrieve me." Roy stated, wrapping one arm around Ed's torso and pulling him against his side. Edward allowed his head to lull to the side and collapse against Roy's shoulder. "What happened anyway's brother?" Al asked, struggling not to step forward when he caught the glint of pain in his eyes. "I don't understand her reasoning. She told me she'd forgiving Roy, but right then she tells me she hasn't. I don't understand, why when I find happiness does one of the persons who's opinion truly matters to me ends up to act exactly how I was fearing? Why can't I just be fucking happy?" Edward shook his head, his eyes glinting with unshed tears.

Edward had soon enough fallen asleep against Roy's shoulder, keeping a strong front and refusing to let any tears escape. "I'm going to have to talk to Winry tonight." Alphonse stated incredulously, staring at the ground and pulling up a few strings of grass, dropping them and watching as they fluttered to the ground, being interrupted by the wind. "I think it would be the best for you to do that, I was considering it. But I highly think that she would have attempted to murder me." Roy smirked, glancing down at a snoring Edward. "I understand if you guys want to go stay some-place else. I'll pay for your stay at the inn if you consider leaving." Al shrugged, frowning lightly. "Even if we were concidering moving to an inn for the night, I would never make you pay." Roy smiled, brushing Ed's bangs out of his face.

Roy sighed as he eased Edward down onto the bed, today had been stressful for the both of them, moreso Edward than him. Roy stretched, his back giving a satisfying crack before he crawled over Edward, settling himself on the other side of the sleeping blonde. Roy had neglected the fact that he hadn't yet eaten, and wrapped his arm around Edward's waist, pulling the sleeping blonde closer, causing a few grumbles to escape his mouth, but settle down a few moments later. Roy smiled lightly to himself, resting his head on Edward's shoulder, breathing in the light scent of his lover, before he fluttered his eyes closed, the smile residing on his face.

Alphonse sighed sadly, walking over to Winry's bed and pulling his pillow off, a sad smile on his face. Winry had emotionally damaged Edward, and she was showing absolutely no remorse for him, so he couldn't stand staying with her tonight. "Alphonse, are you alright?" a timid voice asked from the hallway, causing Al to jump. "Edward?" Al asked when he saw his brother leaning against the doorframe. "What are you doing up, don't you think you should be sleeping, after all, you do have your automail replacement tomorrow." Al stressed, dropping the pillow onto the couch, along with a spare comforter. "I can't sleep any longer, Roy's asleep, but I can't." Ed sighed, walking over and settling himself on the bottom of the couch, leaving enough space for Al to lay down.

"You alright though?" Al asked, slipping under the covers and eyeing Ed worriedly. "I'm not completely sure." Ed shrugged, pulling himself under the end of the blanket when he was given the alright for it. "Do you think she's mad at me?" Ed asked, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Of coarse she's not, she's probably more upset at herself then at you." Al smiled, trying to reassure Ed. "I feel really bad, because I do understand where she's coming from, I just want to be happy, and she doesn't seem to think that Roy makes me happy enough." Ed sighed, pulling his knees up to his chest. "We all tell that he makes you happy, Ed. I've never seen you so happy, nor seen you smile so much, and if Winry can't notice that. I'm going to have to show it to her because she should be happy for you." Al smiled, reaching forward and placing his hand on Ed's knees, a light smile on his lips.

"I know, but I understand that it must be tough on her, but I think she should at least pretend to be happy for me." Ed shrugged, looking down at Al's hand and smiling lightly. "Don't worry, she will soon enough, and I'll be the one on your side, no matter what, because you deserve to be happy." Al smiled. "Thanks Al, you're the best." Edward smiled, reaching over and wrapping his arms around Al's waist, their positioning becoming even more uncomfortable than it was. "You're even better."

Edward woke up first thing in the morning, his legs draped over Al's and his head resting against his automail arm. He groaned lightly, not loud enough to wake up his sleeping brother as he pulled himself out of the blanket and rose to his feet, stretching his back and neck as he padded down the hallway, his automail dragging lazily against the hardwood as he walked back to his bedroom. When he reached the door, he didn't bother knocking, knowing that Roy was most likely asleep anyway. Ed smiled when he saw the bundle underneath the blanket, with a tuft of black hair sticking out over the side. Laughing lightly to himself, he crawled over Roy, attempting to not wake him up, and plopping himself on the bed beside him, one arm supporting his head as he gazed at the sleeping man.

Edward leaned forward, pressing his lips against Roy's nose, causing his nose to wrinkle up. Edward giggled lightly to himself, a smile staying pressed on his lips. "Roooooy." Edward cooed, pressing his lips against Roy's forehead this time, this time a hand coming up to swipe his forehead. Roy groaned, attempting to roll over, but just getting a blonde sitting on his chest. Roy groaned once again, attempting to get Edward off as his eyes flutter open. "You know, I don't mind waking up like this." Roy smirked, pulling Edward down so their noses were just touching lightly. "You look so young when you sleep." Edward smiled, pressing his hands on both sides of the bed beside Roy's head to support himself. "So do you." Roy smiled, pulling Edward close and pressing their lips together.


	20. Shining

Edward sighed as he debated making his way down the steps, his lips pressed in a thin line. "Ed, go down there." Alphonse encouraged, pushing him lightly. "What am I going to say?" Ed asked, leaning against the wall, frown lines appearing on his forehead. "Just tell her what she needs to hear. She'll end up apologizing sooner or later, she's not one to hold grudges." Alphonse smiled, nodding his head. "Thanks I just hope you know I hate you dearly." Ed smiled, looking back at his brother. "Of coarse you do, now get your ass down there." Al chuckled, turning on his heel and walking into the living-room. Ed rolled his eyes, gripping the railing with his automail hand as he walked down the stairs. "Alphonse?" Winry called, the sound of clinking metal. "Just the opposite, actually." Ed smiled. Jumping down the last final steps and landing on his feet. "Edward, I-" Winry whispered, being cut off by Edward. "No, let me speak." Ed stated, frowning lightly. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier, I'm sorry that I brought him here without asking. I'm sorry that I let you down yesterday, but he's what makes me happy and I want you to understand that." Ed whispered, his golden eyes staying glued to the icy blue ones before. "Stop apologizing, you did nothing wrong, you aren't the one at fault here." She admitted looking to the ground. "You aren't the one at fault either." Ed defended, stepping closer. "Yes I am, I overreacted and I shouldn't have." Ed smiled at her. "Overreaction is human, you wouldn't want me to classify you as an alien would you?" Ed smirked when he caught her tight smile. "No I guess I wouldn't want that." Winry chuckled, holding her arms open. "Forgiven?" Ed asked, stepping closer. "Forgiven." Winry stated, pulling the blonde in for a hug.

"Are you ready?" Winry asked, holding his automail replacement in her hands. "I guess so." he frowned. "But could we at least go to the living-room so I won't die of being uncomfortable." Edward rolled his eyes when she smirked. "I could make you die for other reasons, but I'm deciding not to." She smiled, grabbing him by his hand and pulling him back up the stairs. "Winry, not so fast." Ed whined. "Stop complaining, you're the one dawdling." Winry rolled her eyes as she let go of his arm. "Oh hey Roy." Ed chuckled when he came into sight with Roy, sprawled across one edge of the couch that Ed would not be using. "You've never wanted anyone to be around when this happens, are you sure you want Roy here? No offence." She stated, looking to Roy with an apologetic glance. "No I don't mind, the only one I worry about around these times is Alphonse, he's probably already taken off by now." Ed sighed, plopping onto the couch and pulling his shirt over his head. "He has." Winry sighed, placing her newest model of auto-mail on the counter as she pulled out a wrench from her stocking, beginning to loosen a few unneeded screws. "Wow, you really do pull wrenches out of random areas." Roy chuckled from across the couch, causing Edward to laugh. Winry sent a glare his way and smiled lightly down at the smiling Edward. I guess she was wrong about the whole 'wrong for each-other' thing.

The cry of pain that echoed through the room caused Roy to flinch. Edward tightly squeezed his hand, biting his lip to hold back cries that he knew would escape sooner or later. The feeling of nerves being reattached to the automail was enough to send his skin on fire. Every part of him began sore and he whimpered lightly in pain, clenching his eyes shut. Edward could feel the tracing fingers of Roy running up and down his flesh arm, adding a small amount of comfort and he smiled lightly, squeezing his fist. "Try it out Ed." Winry coaxed, causing Ed's eyes to flutter open. Edward glanced down at his shining automail arm, wincing as his shoulder twitched. "Damn it." Ed hissed as it continued to twitch. "Don't worry, take your time." Winry smiled, resting a hand on his knee. "Thanks Win." Edward panted, glancing down at his automail and moving the joints around, the movement shooting pain up his arm. "It works great, but it hurts." Ed sighed, closing his eyes once again. "And that's why Roy's here." Winry chuckled, sitting up and skipping out of the room. "Wow, she sure warmed up to me fast." Roy chuckled, moving closer and wrapping an arm around Ed's waist.

Two hours later and the twitching of his shoulder had not let off, and it was doing more than pissing the blonde off. It was infuriating him. He had his head rested firmly on Roy's shoulder, cuddling against him for the support that he was providing. "How long does the twitching last?" Roy asked, resting his head on top of the trembling blonde'. "I don't know, it varies, I usually sleep until it wears off." Ed whispered, groaning as the twitching started once again. "Why don't you sleep? You're in a lot of pain and sleeping it off usually helps." Roy smiled, brushing the blonde hair out of Ed's face. "Because I don't want to move, and Al still hasn't returned." Ed frowned, glancing down at their entwined fingers. "How about I help you to your room, and then I go find Alphonse. Would that give you some peace of mind?" Roy asked, watching as Edward smiled faintly. "You know, I could really get used to this." Ed smiled, backing away slightly so Roy could stand up. "Used to what?" Roy asked, curiously, helping the blonde rise to his feet. "Used to being cared for by somebody other than my brother." Ed smiled, leaning against Roy for support as he helped him down the hallway and into his bed. "But what about Winry and Pinako?" Roy asked, pulling the covers up to the strained boy's chin. "I always pushed them away." He sighed, closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

Roy glanced around the porch outside, finding Edward's younger brother sitting on the steps, tapping his feet against the ground, his hair rustling in the wind. "Hey." Roy stated awkwardly, walking over and pulling himself down on the steps, a reasonable space away from Al. "I'm guessing Edward asked you to find me?" Al asked, resting his head in his palm. "No." Roy stated, smiling lightly. "It was my idea." "Oh, thanks I guess." Al questioned more than stated. "He's worried about you, I hope you know that." Roy smiled, glancing over at Al. "I'm worried about him, he's in so much pain for weeks after the automail re-attachment. It's going to suck for you guys at the office." Al chuckled. "Well, mainly for me because he never leaves my office. He'll probably just sleep on the couch or something." Roy shrugged causing Al to chuckle lightly. "I wouldn't be surprised, it seems as if Ed wants to spend every waking moment with you. Much to my misunderstanding." Al shrugged, laying back, his bangs falling over his face as he gazed up at the blue, clouded sky. "Why do you misunderstand?" Roy asked, gazing down at the light brown-haired boy. "Well, it's not that I'm against your relationship that the problem is. It's that you guys jumped from hate to love in such a short period of time." Al sighed. "Trust me. I get that too, we did jump into it rather fast. Sorry." Roy chuckled. "Don't apologize."


	21. Shiny

It was a few hours before Roy and Alphonse finally retired to the house, smiles pressed across both of their lips. "Now that I've come to know you better, you're a great guy." Al smiled, settling himself down on the couch, resting his head on the ledge. "Thanks Al." Roy smiled, remaining standing instead of taking the end of the couch. "Edward might have woken up by now, he usually can't stay asleep for very long after the replacement due to his nerves causing him pain." Al sighed, throwing an arm over his face. "Thanks Al." Roy smiled, running a hand through his hair as he walked halfway down the hallway. "And by the way-" Roy stated, turning on his heel and facing Al once again, catching the grey eyes in his dark-blue ones. "What happened to Ed, wasn't your fault." Roy smiled, nodding his head before disappearing into Edward's bedroom. "Whose fault is what now?" Ed asked groggily, pulling himself into a sitting position with a hiss. "You didn't have to get up Ed, I'm completely capable of sitting beside you without having you get up." Roy smirked, crawling over Ed's legs and sitting cross-legged with his back against the cream painted walls. "Are you going to tell me who's fault what is now?" Ed asked, sliding back down underneath his covers. "Al still blames himself for your automail, so I told him that it wasn't his fault." Roy smiled, rolling over and sliding under the covers beside Ed, resting his head on his good shoulder. "And you seem to be feeling cuddly." Ed smirked, resting his arm around Roy's shoulders. "Shut up."

Roy was awoken some time later by a slight trembling to his side and his eyes flew open, blinking to adjust to the light. "Damn it Winry, stop fiddling with it, it's fine!" Edward hissed under his breath, clenching his teeth as she tightened a few more nuts and bolts. "Ed, I have to make sure everything is perfect, so that you don't have to come back for repairs sooner than later. "What, you don't want me here." Ed smirked, his nails tightening on Roy's shoulder, causing a hiss to escape Roy's lips. "Oh shit, I'm sorry Roy!" Ed exclaimed, releasing his grip. "No problem, just some scarring." Roy smirked, raising himself up with a yawn. "Hello, sleepy-head." Winry smirked, sending a smile in Roy's direction. "Hi." Roy smiled back as he stretched his back out. "Do you want to go for a walk or something?" Ed asked, yawning and yanking his arm away from Winry, her yelp echoing off the walls. "No Ed, you can't." Winry stated, pressing her palm against Ed's chest; pushing him down. "Winry I'm fine, we won't go far anyway." Edward groaned, swatting her arm away from him. "Fine but Roy?" Winry stated, directing her eyes in Roy's direction. "Hmm?" Roy hummed, staring into her Sapphire eyes. "Take care of him, alright?" She asked before she stood up and exited the room. "Don't worry, I wouldn't let anything happen to him." Roy whispered under his breath. Before jumping over Edward and helping him to his feet, not once noticing the small smile that Edward sported.

"Where are we walking to anyway?" Roy asked as the wind blew through his hair, causing it to settle down in disarray. "I have no idea, but let's just go with it." Edward shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep warmth circulating to his hands. "Are you getting the automail on your leg replaced too?" Roy asked, speeding up his pace to catch up with the shorter male. "No, Winry already checked it out and said it should be fine as long as I don't find some way to destroy it soon." Ed smiled, trailing a hand through his golden bangs. "Well I'll make sure you don't manage to break it anytime soon." Roy smiled, wrapping an arm around Ed's waist as they continued their walk. "Don't be too sure about that, I have my ways around almost anything." Edward smirked, bumping his hip into Roy's. "Well I guess I'll just have to keep an even better eye on you then, eh?" Roy asked, glancing down at the smirking Edward. "And do what, hire a private investigator?" "I might just do exactly that, or I could always do it myself, I'm not exactly useless in that field." Roy shrugged, bumping his hip back into Ed's with a chuckle. "Of course not, you're only useless in the rain." Ed smiled, jogging away as he heard Roy protest.

"Edward, I don't think climbing trees is really going to help with your recovery." Roy hissed as Edward climbed the tree with the pace of a monkey. "Come on, doing things with it helps me get used to the pain, and then everything is okay." Ed shrugged, settling himself down on a high branch. Swinging his legs off the side. "Now it's your turn to come up here." Edward smiled, leaning back against a thick branch. "But what if I don't want to?" Roy questioned, tapping his foot on the ground. "I always could transmute you a set of stairs if you're too lazy to actually climb up. Or an elevator could also be helpful." Edward pondered, tapping his finger against his chin. "Fine." Roy groaned, grabbing a hold of a singular branch, swinging forward and digging his boots into the tree to pull himself up, groaning as he kicked a little too hard. "You quite alright, old man?" Edward asked, jumping down to Roy's level and extending a hand. "Shut up, short-stack." Roy grunted, hoisting himself up and swatting Edward's extended hand away as he found a comfortable looking branch and sat on it. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Ed asked, sitting down by Roy's feet. "Is that sass I smell, Elric?" Roy asked, flicking Ed's head. "Of course it is." Ed smirked, leaning his head against Roy's knee.

Roy groaned as he realized that Edward had managed to successfully fall asleep, sitting up and with his head in Roy's crotch. "Ed." Roy whispered, shaking the blonde's good shoulder. "Edward?" He stated again, tapping on his forehead and brushing some of the golden hair out of his eyes. Roy tilted Edward's head back and looked down at him before he leaned in and pressed his lips against Ed's, getting an immediate reaction. He pulled away and smiled as Ed's eyes opened and widened when they caught sight of him. "And what the hell do you think you're doing, exactly?" Ed asked, rubbing his eye with the back of his flesh palm. "Waking you up, now let's go." Roy smiled, standing up and beginning his crawl down the tree. "I don't mind really; being woken up like that."


	22. Silken

Edward had an extreme trouble falling to sleep that night, even with the soothing sound of Roy's breathing. He couldn't bring himself to sleep. So with an effort to remove himself successfully from the bed with out waking Roy, he slid out from under the covers and slipped his slippers on, so his automail didn't make a horrible amount of noise. He opened the door with a creak and slid out, his hand blocking the door from slamming shut. Edward sighed to himself as he walked down the hallway, scratching his head drowsily. "Ed?" A voice asked as he approached the living-room, startling the man back a few steps. "Al?" Edward whispered back, confused of why his brother would be awake at such an hour. "Yeah, it's me Ed." Al chuckled under his breath, so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping members of the household. "Would you like some tea?" Al asked, peeking his head around the corner from the kitchen, cocking his head to the side. "Yes, thank-you." Ed smiled, scratching at his golden hair once more before stepping into the kitchen, the muffled sound of china echoing through the small room. "Sugar?" Al questioned, peeking at his brother from behind his bangs. "Please." Ed smiled, sitting himself on the wooden stool that sat in the corner of the room. "Couldn't sleep?" Al asked, grabbing the china cup by the handle, carrying it carefully over to his brother so he wouldn't spill. "No, I don't understand why either." Ed questioned, cocking his head to the side before taking the cup into his flesh hand. "Thanks Al." Ed smiled graciously, taking a sip of the heated, dark brown liquid. "I couldn't sleep either." Al chuckled, pulling himself onto the counter with a huff. "Well, I guess the famous sleepless nights are back." Al shrugged, causing Edward to laugh lightly. "I hope not, or I'd really be screwed.

After an hour of sitting in the kitchen, and five cups of tea later. Footsteps once again echoed down the quiet hallway, and both Elric brother's cocked their heads and peeked around the corner, only to become face to face with an extremely tired looking Roy. "Roy, why aren't you in bed?" Edward asked, stepping around Al and wrapping his arms around Roy's waist, his hands resting on the small of his back. "Well, I could ask you the same question." Roy chuckled, draping his arms around the man's upper back, resting his chin in the golden hair. "Well aren't you two just the cutest." Alphonse chuckled, smiling at the embracing couple. "Shut-up, Al." Edward hissed, his voice muffled by the light-blue flannel of Roy's pajama shirt. "Why aren't you in bed?" Roy asked, slipping past Edward and stealing the stool that was previously occupied by Edward. Edward hissed but decided not to press the issue. "I couldn't sleep, and staring up at the ceiling isn't that fun. Why are you not in bed?" Edward asked, leaning against the counters, his hands pressed to the cold marble of the counter-top. "I had a nightmare." Roy whispered, looking down at the tiled flooring. "Ishva-" "Don't." Roy stated, raising a hand to stop Edward's words. "Sorry." Edward mumbled, dropping his head forward, his bangs falling in front of his face. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. Come here Ed." Roy whispered, holding his arms apart and awaiting Edward to come. Edward smiled lightly and walked over, taking a seat on Roy's lap and smiling as the strong arms wrapped around his shoulders protectively. "Don't worry about it, I understand. I shouldn't have brought it up." Edward chuckled, as Roy pressed a feather-light kiss to Ed's shoulder. "It's fine." Roy smiled, catching the smirk of a chuckling Alphonse Elric.

"Don't you think we should all be in bed right now, from the looks of the sky, the suns going to come out in less than thirty minutes." Roy pointed out, yawning into Edward's shoulder, causing him to giggle. "I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep, but you should head back, you need it more than I do." Edward smiled, leaning into Roy's chest, waving as Alphonse walked out of the room and took spot on the couch, the sound of the springs loud enough to be heard from the kitchen. "You know I wouldn't leave without you." Roy smiled, pressing a kiss to Edward's pale skin below his ear. A shiver went down Ed's smile and a light flush appeared on his face, but he slowly willed it away. "But why, you're more likely to fall asleep without me there." Edward sighed, resting his head against Roy's shoulder and turning his head slowly so he could peer into Roy's dark-blue orbs. "That isn't true, your breathing and your presence helps lull me to sleep." Roy smirked, turning his head and pressing a kiss to the corner of Ed's mouth, before pressing a kiss against his lips, holding until Edward responded. Edward kissed back with passion and he smiled into the kiss as Roy's arms tightened around his smaller body. Edward's face began to redden, as Roy rested his hand on the man's neck, pulling him closer into him. Edward gasped when the feeling of a warm wetness slid against his bottom lip, one he soon recognized as Roy's tongue. Reluctantly, he parted his lips slowly, gasping once again when Roy's tongue slipped between his teeth and with haste he pulled away. "I'm sorry, was that too much?" Roy asked, pulling away. His breathing coming in struggled and erratic. "I'm sorry, I've just never had that feeling before." Edward whispered, looking down and examining the buttons on his flannel pajamas. "No, Edward it's alright. Now, please. Let's head to bed." Roy smiled, slipping the blonde off his lap, tangling their hands together. "Alright." Edward sighed, giving in to the fatigue that overwhelmed him.

Edward awoke in a cold-sweat, his hand flew out to his right side and he sprung out of bed when his arm hit nothingness. "Roy!" Edward shouted, slipping on the floor in his haste to find the one that he needed so desperately. "Roy!" Edward hissed once again, pulling himself to his feet. Edward ran out the door, the sound of automail scratching the floor echoing through the empty hallway and he glanced down as he ran, staring at the fibers in the floor. Only to bump into a rock hard chest. The person that he bumped into stumbled back a few steps with a gasp and Edward shot his head up, catching the black hair as he once again fell to the ground. "Ed?" Roy asked, sliding down on his knees to get at level with the blonde. "Roy, you're alive." Edward whispered, throwing his arms around Roy's neck, pulling the older man to his chest. "You're really alive." Edward whispered, feeling his eyes slowly began to fill with wetness. "Edward, what's going on?" Roy asked, wrapping his arms around the younger one as he felt warm droplets soak through his white shirt. "I-I had a dream that the Truth took you from me." Edward whispered, his voice cracking as he tightened his grip. "Edward, the truth didn't take me away. I'm right here." Roy whispered, feeling the watchful eyes of Al and Winry as he pressed his lips softly to Ed's forehead. "Everything's going to be alright, darling."


	23. Silky

Edward and his golden hair followed Roy's every move for the whole day, his hands still visibly shaking due to the nightmare that had obviously scared him shitless. "Edward, please calm down." Roy stopped halfway down the hallway to turn around and wrap his arms around the blonde's waist feeling his lovers head fall onto his shoulder. "I-I'm sorry." Edward whispered, clenching his fists around Roy's freshly washed white flannel shirt. "Don't be sorry, I'm still here and that's all that really matters isn't it?" Roy asked, pressing his lips to Edward's bare shoulder that was exposed under his black tank-top. "That dream.. it just made me think. What would happen if you actually were gone, and that dream was real?" Edward whispered, his voice cracking. Roy ran his fingers through Edward's silky bangs, smiling slightly. "But you do know that if that actually did happen to me that I would do everything in my power to return back to you. I would make it my ultimate priority, because I could not live without having you in my life. Edward, I don't know what I would do without you." Roy smiled, pressing his lips to Ed's forehead as he saw the tears begin to well in Ed's eyes. "Edward, how about this? Tonight I'll ask Alphonse about moving the T.V into your room and we could have a movie night. Just you and me?" Roy smiled, running a hand through his fringe once again. "I would appreciate that." Edward smiled, leaning into the raven haired mans chest once again before wrapping his arms around the man's back, holding him tightly. "But for now we'll just go to your room and allow you to catch up on the sleep that you had disturbed this morning. Alright?" Roy asked, glancing down at the smaller man, waiting for his nod of approval before he scooped the blonde into his arms bridal style. "Drop me and I'll kill everything you love." Edward squealed, clenching onto Roy's shirt with a red face. "But that would mean you'd have to kill yourself." Roy frowned, clutching the blonde closer. "Fine, then only some things that you love." Edward finalized, placing his head on Roy's shoulder.

Once Edward managed to fall asleep, Roy unwrapped his body from around Ed, feeling the squeak of unappreciative noise from Ed. He found Edward's slippers and shuffled into them, letting out a yawn as he snuck out of the room, knowing that he would have to be back before Edward awoke to prevent any future scares. "Good afternoon, Colonel." Winry's chirpy voice called from the kitchen, causing his head to snap up. "Good Afternoon." Roy smiled waving his hand in front of his face in acknowledgement as he stepped into the kitchen. "How's Brother doing?" Alphonse asked, passing a cup of coffee into Roy's spare hand. "He's doing better, he's still jumpy. But I hope that Edward doesn't have a re-occurance of the nightmares, from what I've heard, they were existent when you boys were younger too." Roy sighed, leaning against the counter with a frown. "They were horrible, even though I was incapable of sleep and Edward was. It hurt so badly to see how Edward could barely sleep every night because he didn't want the haunting images that stalked his dreams to return." Al sighed, understanding the wary expression that Roy bore. "But the best thing you can do for him is be there, if he has a bad dream, continuously tell him that everything is going to be alright, because in the end, it will." Al smiled, patting Roy on the back before he strode out of the room. "Wait, Al." Roy chuckled, grabbing him by the sleeve of his jacket. "Do you mind if later I move the T.V into Edward's room? I promised him a movie night and I really don't want to let him down, he really needs this." Roy pleaded, not letting go of Al's jacket. "I don't mind, I'll help you with that, we might even have some popcorn and candy hanging around for you guys." Al smiled, turning on his heel and walking away, leaving Roy with a smile on his face.

After finishing his cup of coffee, Roy rinsed out his mug and placed it in the sink, taking his time as he walked back to Edward's room. He was sure that the younger man was still not awake, and that could be a good albeit bad thing. Winry glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her eyebrow shooting up as she watched the raven haired man slow motion walk down the hallway, before she snorted to herself and chuckled, returning back to the automail manual she was intently reading. Roy snuck into the room across from where he stood for a few moments, he didn't catch any signs of the boy being awake so he entered quietly and carefully, kicking off Edward's slippers to the side of the bed with a huff. "Roy?" A tired voice called from under the covers, causing Roy's head to snap up suddenly. "Yeah, it's just me." Roy chuckled, walking over to the bed and crawling over Edward's body, making sure to not injure him in the process. "Hi." Edward giggled, pulling the blankets from his face to smile up at Roy. "Well, hello there." Roy chuckled, sliding under the covers and wrapping his arms around Ed's waist, earning a light squeal from Ed. "You're really cute when you're tired." Roy chuckled, pulling Edward against his chest. "I thought I was always cute." Edward whined, batting his eyelashes as he rolled in Roy's grip, so his forearms were pressed against his chest. "You are, but you're super cute when you are tired." Roy chuckled, removing one arm from around Ed to poke his nose lightly. "Oh, that's always a good thing I guess." Edward chuckled, letting out a yawn and throwing his arms around Roy's neck, ignoring the awkward position that they were currently in. Roy pressed a soft kiss against the golden head of hair in front of him, smiling down at the figure that was curled against his body. "I love you." Edward's eyes widened and he glanced up into Roy's gaze, catching the smug looking face with a grin. "I love you too." Edward murmured, pressing a kiss to Roy's stubbly chin; his face flushing.

Soon after, Edward had fallen asleep once again. Roy shook his head and kissed Edward on the head once again, smiling at the younger boy before he slipped out of the death hold that Edward had on him. Jumping off the bed silently and once again sliding Ed's slippers on his own feet. Roy hummed to himself as he slipped out of the bedroom, closing the door with a click behind him. He readjusted the flannel of his shirt and smiled as he caught Alphonse raising a curious eyebrow to him. Roy put his hands up in surrender and waved Alphonse off, continuing his way down the hallway. "Is he still sleeping?" Al asked, cocking his head to the side to glance questionably at Roy. "When isn't he sleeping?" Roy retorted, rolling his eyes as he passed Al, heading for the kitchen in hopes of finding something suitable to eat.


	24. Epilogue

Edward Elric's bright golden hair shimmered in the sunlight as he sat on the window-seat that resided in the master bedroom of Roy's house.

Edward sighed and held the picture of his black haired fiancee against his chest.

It had been three years since Roy had been deployed into a military mission in Drachma.

Three years since Ed had seen those dark-blue eyes that he had grown so accustomed to seeing every-time he awoke.

It had been three years, since the man he loved had held him close, and made Edward believe that everything was going to be alright.

Edward fluttered his eyes shut before any tears managed to escape his eyes.

The last thing he needed was for his daughter to walk in on him crying once again.

"Daddy?" A timid girl's voice asked from the doorway, causing Edward to plaster on the best smile he could manage and face the six year old who stood in his doorway.

Roy had suggested that they adopt this little girl soon after they had been officially engaged, and she had been the princess of the house ever since.

"What's wrong, Mae?" Edward asked, his brows furrowing in worry at the look of sadness on the young girl's face.

Edward held his arms open and she sniffled, shuffling he way into Edward's open arms.

"I had the dream again." She sniffled again as Edward pulled her against his chest, scooping her into his lap.

"Aw, darling. Monsters aren't real." Edward cooed.

"But this time he ate you and Papa!" She exclaimed. tangling her fingers in the white flannel of Edward's shirt.

Edward pressed his lips against Mae's forehead, rubbing her back in soothing motions.

"I'm right here, and Papa's supposed to be calling later today, so we know he hasn't been eaten!" Ed smiled, running a hand through her thick black hair.

Mae smiled up at him, her dark green eyes peering into Edward's own golden ones.

"I love you Daddy." Mae smiled, wrapping her arms around Edward's waist.

"I love you too, Mae." Edward smiled, resting his chin on top of her head.

* * *

Edward was in the midst of making breakfast for the two of them when the phone began blaring the song of it's people.

Edward glanced at Mae's pleading face and gave a small nod before the girl had jumped off her seat and taken off towards the phone, her pastel green dress flowing behind her.

"Maes Mustang speaking!" Mae declared proudly, holding the phone against her ear with a determined face.

"Papa!" She squealed, her voice loosing it's seriousness.

Tapping sounds echoed through the kitchen as Mae jumped up and down, the phone-cord swinging with the motion.

"I'm good, and so is Daddy!" she giggled, widening Edward's smile.

"Daddy?" Mae questioned, holding the phone away from her ear.

"Yes?" Edward asked, placing the knife he was using down and wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Papa wants to talk to you." she smiled, holding the phone out in her direction.

Ed skipped over, feeling his braid bouncing against his back.

He swooped his flesh arm down to grab the phone and pressed it to his ear, feeling Mae wrap herself around his leg.

"Roy?" Edward breathed, cradling the phone in his hand.

"Fullmetal, you're needed at the office." Roy stated, a smirk evident in his voice.

"Why the hell would I do that? Didn't the Fuhrer hire enough secretaries to cover? And what's with the formalities?" Edward questioned, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Edward. _I_ need you at the office." the older man smiled.

Edward's eyes widened and he clamped his hand over his mouth.

It didn't take long for him to gather Mae in his arms, hang up the phone and running to the military vehicle that stood unused in the driveway.

* * *

Edward's whole body shook as he parked the car in front of Central Command.

Mae had her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Edward attempted at calming himself down.

Mae unbuckled her seat-belt and clamored out of the car, pulling Edward's door unlocked after closing her own.

"Why are we at Papa's work?" Mae asked as Edward unbuckled her seat-belt and slid out beside her.

"Don't worry about it Princess, let's go." Ed smiled, grabbing hold of her hand with his automail, being careful not to hurt her.

Ed kept his eyes glued to the ground as he walked, knowing exactly where he was going without looking up.

But as they approached the stairs, a certain girl detached from his hand and screamed "Papa!" Before dashing ahead.

Edward's head sprung up so fast; he swore he had given himself whiplash as his eyes widened.

He clamped his automail hand over his mouth for the second time that day when he caught sight of the man who was wrapping their daughter in a tight hug.

Edward felt subconsios tears flood from his eyes and fall down his cheeks as he slid to his knees, watching as the man he hadn't seen in three years talked to their giggling daughter.

A sob escaped Edward's lips as he removed his hand from his own mouth, a grin widening across his face as tears fell from his eyes.

"Roy." He breathed, raising to his feet as Roy glanced at him, giving him a knowing look before placing Mae to the side.

Edward took off running, nearly mauling Roy over as he ran into his arms.

Another sob escaped Edward as he clung to Roy's uniform, breathing in the smell he missed so dearly.

"I'm home, for good now." Roy smiled, feeling his own eyes well up with oncoming tears.

* * *

A/N; _**Okay, I am so sorry about ending it like this. Honestly! This wasn't even the plan and I don't know what came over me but I had a really really sudden urge to end it because I couldn't come up with any ideas for the next chapter. So I sort of did and now I'm crying because this was the first story I have posted onto this website and now it's over. **_

_**Well I might as well go drown in my tears now. **_

_**I'll miss you, Gleaming. **_


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